This Dallas billionaire backs Greg Abbott. So why did he give a huge gift to Beto O’Rourke?
The point of having billions of dollars, we can only assume, is the freedom to act on a whim once in a while.
But if it involves politics, it might be smarter to pay for a little advice — and follow it.
Dallas billionaire Kelcy Warren, executive chairman of Energy Transfer Partners, is suing Beto O’Rourke, alleging that the Democrat defamed him by linking Warren’s $1 million campaign donation to Gov. Greg Abbott and big profits for Warren’s company in the power grid failure of 2021.
Set aside the high bar for winning such a suit. Warren’s move is a huge gift to O’Rourke’s campaign for governor, perhaps even more valuable than the cash Warren gave to Abbott.
Warren lashing out allows O’Rourke to say he’s on to something big. It positions him as fighting for the little guy against Big Energy — and at a time of record gas prices.
The O’Rourke campaign knows what to do with such a gift. Late Tuesday, it sent a fundraising plea centered on Warren’s lawsuit.
“Abbott’s top allies are directly attacking Beto in an effort to silence him and stop our movement, but Beto will always put people over profits, no matter the risk,” the email read.
Perhaps most important of all is that, if the suit drags on, it can help keep the grid collapse in the news. O’Rourke wants to make it a centerpiece of his campaign. But Texans aren’t likely to carry a two-year-old memory into the voting booth, especially amid fresher concerns such as the pandemic, war in Europe and inflation.
Barring another power failure — and no one wants that — O’Rourke needs help building the event into a larger narrative that will stick with voters, one of corruption, incompetence or both.
Enter Kelcy Warren and his lawsuit.
Warren is no doubt used to a little public bruising. In 2012, he was willing to put himself and his 9-year-old son in the spotlight by donating money to build a signature Dallas park and putting young Klyde Warren’s name on it.
So, he ought to be able to grin and bear O’Rourke’s attacks — especially if he wants Abbott to win as much as that million-dollar donation suggests.
And next time, Warren should spend a little more on better political advice.
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