Four days before the November election, Beto O’Rourke reportedly returned a $1 million donation from known political donor and former FTX CEO Sam Bankman-Fried, according to the Texas Tribune.
O’Rourke and SBF had not communicated before the donation, according to his campaign team, who told the Tribune that it was a “surprise.”
Beto O’Rourke uncomfortable with unsolicited donation
According to the publication, the former Democratic candidate for governor of Texas chose to return the donation because he felt uneasy accepting such a sizable, unexpected gift.
O’Rourke refunded SBF’s donation, but during the previous fundraising cycle, from July 1 to Sept. 29, when O’Rourke received the sum, the now-disgraced crypto tycoon was the Texas Democrat’s top contributor.
Big-time donor
SBF donated $40 million to Democratic candidates, while other FTX executives, including co-CEO Ryan Salame, gave to Republicans.
Some politicians, notably Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY), who received at least $16,600 from SBF, are hurrying to clear their names by vowing to donate the money to charity.
The political polarization in Texas over cryptocurrency may have affected O’Rourke’s hesitation to accept the more recent substantial donation. Republican incumbent Gov. Greg Abbott (who won the election) is a prominent booster of the state’s crypto industry, notably crypto mining.