WACO, Texas – Pat Curry, the freshman representative for Texas’ District 56, has filed a lawsuit and initiated a criminal investigation against Courageous Conservatives PAC, a Virginia-based political action committee, for allegedly misrepresenting his stance in the race for House Speaker and distributing his personal cell phone number to his constituents.
Curry, who succeeded longtime State Rep. Doc Anderson, claims that on December 6, 2024, the PAC sent out mass text messages and posted on social media platforms misrepresenting his vote in the Texas House speaker race. The messages falsely suggested that Curry had not committed to voting for State Rep. David Cook, R-Mansfield, and accused him of being a “turncoat” for siding with State Rep. Dustin Burrows, R-Lubbock, in his bid for speaker. Curry had, in fact, publicly committed to voting for Cook.
Along with the misleading political messaging, the PAC disseminated Curry’s personal cell phone number in these posts, encouraging recipients to contact him and demand he oppose Burrows and vote for Cook. The texts prompted an overwhelming response, flooding Curry’s phone with hundreds of calls and messages, many of which contained menacing language and veiled threats. This bombardment caused significant distress for Curry, his family, and his staff, necessitating security sweeps of his home and office by the Department of Public Safety (DPS).
Curry, who replaced Anderson in the state legislature, expressed frustration over the tactics employed by the PAC, calling the distribution of his private contact information “illegal” and “criminal.” He described the incident as an attempt to manipulate his political position using falsehoods and intimidation, saying, “They put out a text that went throughout the district, and then they put it on Facebook and Twitter… now I have thousands of contacts that I’ve got to change my number for… It’s illegal what they did.”
The lawsuit, filed in the 74th State District Court in Waco, names Courageous Conservatives PAC, its chairman, Christopher Ekstrom, and several unnamed individuals as defendants. Curry is seeking an injunction to have his personal phone number removed from the PAC’s posts and to prevent its future use in any political activities. The lawsuit also requests the PAC be prohibited from engaging in political advocacy in Texas until it complies with state laws requiring proper disclosure of political advertisements and financial records.
Curry’s legal action also alleges that the PAC violated the Texas Election Code and the Texas Government Code, arguing that its actions caused “harassment and harm” to the lawmaker. Curry’s former opponent in the speaker race, Rep. David Cook, also condemned the PAC’s actions, calling them “below the belt politics” and “reprehensible.”
The Department of Public Safety has launched a criminal investigation into the matter, and Curry remains adamant in his pursuit of justice, emphasizing his determination to stop such tactics. “They picked a fight with the wrong guy,” Curry said in a statement on Tuesday. “Let’s see what you’ve got.”
