Texas Congressional Candidate with Extremist Views Secures Major Hard-Right Financial Backing and Trump Endorsement
A rookie congressional candidate in Texas has emerged as a significant recipient of financial support from wealthy hard-right donors, including prominent tech billionaire Peter Thiel, according to newly released Federal Election Commission filings. Jace Yarbrough, who is competing in a crowded nine-way Republican primary for Texas's 32nd district, has also garnered a crucial endorsement from former President Donald Trump on Truth Social, solidifying his position within the Maga political movement.
Extremist Positions and High-Profile Backers
At a recent candidate forum hosted by the conservative Dallas Express, Yarbrough unapologetically articulated a series of controversial and extremist positions. He stated that critics might label his political approach as "bigoted and backward and oppressive and Nazi-ish," but he is "past trying to placate that in any way, shape or form." His remarks included calls to repeal the 1965 Hart-Celler Act, which ended race-based immigration quotas—a policy long advocated by white nationalists and increasingly echoed within Maga circles.
Yarbrough also made inflammatory comments about Islam, referencing the 9/11 attacks and warning against "hordes of Islamic immigrants" attempting to establish Sharia law in the United States, which he claimed is "fundamentally incompatible with American citizenship." These statements have drawn sharp criticism from political observers and academics.
The financial backing for Yarbrough's campaign is substantial and revealing. Peter Thiel, the Palantir founder and early mentor to Vice President JD Vance, contributed the maximum allowable $7,000 to Yarbrough's campaign on December 24. Thiel, a major Trump donor in 2016, has been a key funder for "new right" candidates, spending approximately $30 million in the 2022 election cycle.
Network of Far-Right Donors and Organizations
Other significant donors include Thomas Klingenstein, chair of the Claremont Institute's board and its largest known funder, who also gave $7,000 on December 30. Klingenstein has previously funded videos urging conservatives to engage in a "cold civil war" against "woke communists" and has donated over $10 million to Republican causes in the 2024 cycle. His wife, Robin D Weaver, contributed an additional $7,000.
Charles Haywood, a former soap magnate and founding member of the secretive far-right Society for American Civic Renewal (SACR), donated $1,000 on December 29. Haywood has publicly speculated about serving as a "warlord" in a post-collapse America and has made repeated calls for an authoritarian overthrow of U.S. democracy on social media.
The donor list further includes Nate Fischer, a venture capitalist with documented links to JD Vance and the founding president of SACR's Dallas chapter, who gave $1,000 along with his wife Meghan. Andrew Beck, Claremont Institute's vice-president for communications and an admitted SACR member, donated $3,500, while Beck & Stone co-founder Austin Stone contributed $7,000. Andrew Cuff, former communications director for Beck & Stone and currently chief speechwriter at the Department of Education, gave $1,041.02.
Yarbrough's Background and Legal Battles
Jace Yarbrough is a lawyer, former U.S. Air Force service member, and current reservist who has gained prominence on the right through various legal battles. He filed a lawsuit against the U.S. Air Force, U.S. Space Force, and defense officials in October 2023 over a letter of admonishment he received following a speech criticizing military trainings aimed at limiting extremism as "a thinly veiled flex of political power." That case remains ongoing.
His law firm has represented Elon Musk's X against Media Matters for America and for X and Rumble against former advertisers. Yarbrough previously failed in a bid for a Texas state senate seat in 2024 before filing for the 32nd congressional district in December 2025—a seat redistricted to favor Republicans, attracting a wide primary field.
Academic and Institutional Analysis
John Bellamy Foster, a sociology professor at the University of Oregon, commented on Yarbrough's rise, stating, "Jace Yarbrough is among the most militant figures in the Maga political movement in the United States, and a major recipient of Maga-billionaire donations." Foster added, "If it can be said that there is a neofascist political movement in the United States, Yarbrough is certainly one of its chief would-be 'lawgivers.'"
The Claremont Institute, with which several donors are affiliated, donated $26,248 to SACR in 2020. A 2024 Middlebury Institute report highlighted "undercurrents of neo-fascist accelerationism" in SACR's philosophy. SACR, a men-only, invitation-only fraternal network exposed by the Guardian in 2023, aims to recruit men who "understand the nature of authority and its legitimate forceful exercise" to form "the backbone of a renewed American regime."
Political Context and Future Implications
Yarbrough's campaign and the support it has attracted underscore deepening divisions within American politics. His characterization of the January 6 Capitol riot as a "peaceful protest" and lament over prosecutions further aligns him with far-right narratives. The convergence of billionaire funding, institutional backing from groups like Claremont, and Trump's endorsement positions Yarbrough as a significant figure in the evolving landscape of hard-right politics.
When contacted for comment, only Thomas Klingenstein responded, writing via email, "I have no particular objections to or comments on the subjects you propose to cover." The Guardian's outreach to Yarbrough and other donors yielded no further responses, highlighting the opaque nature of this financial and political network.
