Texas Democratic lawmakers who left the state earlier this week in an effort to block passage of a GOP elections bill are getting financial assistance from Willie Nelson and former Rep. Beto O'Rourke (D-Texas) as they advocate for voting rights in the nations capital.
According to the Dallas Morning News, O'Rourke, whose national profile soared in 2018 as he campaigned to unseat Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas), has helped raise more than $525,000 to cover the Texas Democratic legislators' expenses during their stay in Washington, D.C.
Nelson has also donated $5,000 to the cause, the paper reports, while encouraging others to donate.
The group of Democratic state lawmakers is reportedly staying in a hotel near the White House and is expected to stay in D.C. for a month, racking up thousands of dollars in daily expenses.
The dozens of state Democrats fled Texas on Monday in an effort to deny Republicans the necessary quorum for a special legislative session, effectively delaying consideration of the elections bill.