Texas PAC Leader Caught on Undercover Video Discussing Vote Buying Scheme

A Texas political action committee leader has been filmed appearing to confess to an indirect method of paying voters to support their candidate for the U.S. Senate. The video, released on Wednesday, shows Sky McAdams, an organizing manager for the Texas Majority PAC, outlining the mechanics of the operation.

In the footage, McAdams candidly mentions, “If I was a Republican, I would be pissed. I would be like, that’s shady as f**k.” He elaborates that the organization is offering individuals $25 to participate in an hour-long Zoom class focused on the significance of voting and the alleged negative impacts of Republican policies. He describes this approach as a rather convoluted method to compensate individuals for their votes, saying, “It’s, like, a roundabout way of paying people for their votes, essentially. Which is interesting.”

McAdams further acknowledges that while direct financial compensation for votes is illegal, his program operates in a gray area. “You can’t pay someone to vote for someone,” he admits. “You can’t be like, ‘Here’s $25. Go vote for me.’ You can say, ‘Attend a one-hour class and you can receive $25.’ And then the class just talks about, like, the importance of it. It’s a little gray.”

He expresses a casual attitude about the implications, smiling while reiterating the dubious nature of the scheme.

The program, termed a “paid relational program,” is facilitated by a software called “Rally” and is operated by a firm named “Relentless.” The Texas Majority PAC has previously been investigated for its role in supporting state Democrats who left Texas to obstruct votes on congressional redistricting legislation. Notably, this group receives some backing from billionaire George Soros.

The video has gained traction on various social media platforms following its posting by Townhall.

In light of the revelations, Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton, who is running against Talarico, voiced outrage, stating, “Absolutely outrageous! James Talarico’s team just admitted they are trying to bribe people for votes. Texans aren’t for sale, no matter how much James Talarico thinks they are.”

Following the controversy, a spokesperson for the Texas Majority PAC claimed that McAdams misrepresented the program and has since been terminated. “Participants in the program are being paid for grassroots organizing work,” the spokesperson clarified. They emphasized that McAdams’s description was not accurate about the organization’s operations.

Requests for comments from Relentless and the Talarico campaign went unanswered.

Interestingly, Relentless asserts on its website that it has successfully garnered “47,533 Democratic votes” in previous campaigns across states like Arizona, Georgia, Michigan, North Carolina, and Pennsylvania in 2024.

The Texas Majority PAC disclosed expenditures of $500,000 for services provided by Relentless. To put that in context, Townhall suggested that at a rate of $25 per vote, that budget could potentially lead to around 20,000 votes.

Attorney General Paxton has also been involved in the ongoing investigation into the Texas Majority PAC.