A new type of dirty trick has entered one of the most closely watched Senate races in the country. On Wednesday, an unidentified volunteer for Beto O’Rourke, the Texas Democrat who is running against Senator Ted Cruz, gained access to the campaign’s mass-texting system and sent a series of unauthorized messages to Mr. O’Rourke’s supporters.
“We are in search of volunteers to help transport undocumented immigrants to polling booths so that they will be able to vote,” read one of the messages, which claimed to be from an O’Rourke volunteer named Patsy. “Would you be able to support this grass-roots effort?”
A second message, also sent by a purported volunteer named Patsy, claimed that the campaign was conducting an internal poll, and asked recipients for their opinions on “the dangers of socialism.”
“We are in search of volunteers to help transport undocumented immigrants to polling booths so that they will be able to vote,” read one of the messages, which claimed to be from an O’Rourke volunteer named Patsy. “Would you be able to support this grass-roots effort?”
A second message, also sent by a purported volunteer named Patsy, claimed that the campaign was conducting an internal poll, and asked recipients for their opinions on “the dangers of socialism.”
