A Republican fundraising platform supporting Sen. Bill Hagerty’s (R-TN) reelection campaign is soliciting donations from voters off of the escaped Louisiana inmates, and stoking concerns that the prisoners could vote in upcoming elections to promote a voter ID petition.
The text message campaign, sent to voters via the Republican fundraising platform WinRed, links concerns about voter eligibility to the escape of ten inmates from a New Orleans jail earlier this month.
The text messages sent out on Monday afternoon read: “Escaped inmates VOTING? If Democrats BAN Voter ID, even the escaped Louisiana prisoners could vote. SUPPORT VOTER ID.”
Those who received the message were sent to a website that claimed the “10 Criminals escaped prison, and they are headed to the polls near YOU.” The website promotes a voter ID petition along with a contribution that “will benefit Team Hagerty.”
There is no evidence that escaped inmates are attempting to vote, and legal experts note that individuals with felony convictions are generally barred from voting in Louisiana.
Hagerty’s campaign says he remains committed to advancing stricter ID requirements at the polls, arguing they align with broad public approval despite pushback from Democratic lawmakers.
“Voter ID laws are overwhelmingly supported by the American people and Democrats waged an active campaign against them,” Robert Donachie, spokesman for Sen. Hagerty’s campaign said in a statement provided to the Washington Examiner.
Donachie continued, “Senator Hagerty will continue championing strong voter ID laws to ensure the integrity of our elections.”
The campaign did not address the allegations about escaped inmates voting. However, the Democratic National Committee (DNC) condemned the fundraising effort as a deliberate effort to spread misinformation and divert attention from Hagerty’s intentions to push forward the Republican budget bill.
“Senator Hagerty, like his House Republican colleagues, is about to gut Medicaid and rip food away from his own constituents,” Abhi Rahman, DNC Deputy Communications Director, said in a statement provided to the Washington Examiner. “This fundraising text is absurd and wrong. Senator Hagerty knows that, but he would rather make up lies than admit the truth: he is preparing to vote for a budget that will devastate families across Louisiana, Tennessee, and the rest of the country.”
The inmates who escaped from a Louisiana prison allegedly used electric hair trimmers to help cut their way through the cell walls, according to CNN. The majority of the prisoners have been re-arrested, but two remain at large.
10 ESCAPE FROM NEW ORLEANS JAIL THROUGH HOLE IN CELL WALL WHILE LONE GUARD LEFT TO GET FOOD
WinRed is the primary online fundraising platform for the Republican Party, launched in 2019 to rival the Democratic Party’s ActBlue fundraising platform. WinRed consolidates donations for federal, state, and local GOP campaigns.
In the 2024 election cycle, WinRed processed $1.8 billion from 4.5 million donors, marking a 177% increase in usage over four years and a 68% rise in donor participation compared to the previous cycle. The organization did not respond to a request for comment.