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‘Seinfeld’ stars reunite to try to help turn Texas blue with a ‘fundraiser about something’

Julia Louis-Dreyfus, Jason Alexander and Larry David will join Seth Meyers in a virtual fundraiser and “yada yada yada.”

Editor’s note: Take a look back into The Dallas Morning News archives.

Updated at 3:15 p.m. with additional details about Seinfeld cast fundraisers.

Three cast members from the “show about nothing” are reuniting for a “fundraiser about something” to help the Texas Democratic Party’s efforts to turn the Lone Star State blue.

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Julia Louis-Dreyfus, Jason Alexander and Larry David will join host Seth Meyers at the virtual event Friday at 7 p.m. to talk about their favorite episodes from Seinfeld. Any donation will let the contributor attend the event, with proceeds going to the state Democratic Party.

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In a joint statement, the three stars said Texas is more a “non-voting state” than a “red state,” referencing the state’s decades of low voter turnout.

“Texas is a battleground state, period,” they said. “We knew that we had to reunite for something special and the movement on the ground for Texas Democrats up and down the ballot is the perfect opportunity to do just that.”

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This is not the first time Seinfeld stars have used their fame to raise money in Texas. In the ’90s, Jerry Seinfeld himself helped his friend and former girlfriend Karen J. Greene, a Republican judge, raise $35,000 toward her bid for reelection to the 282nd Criminal District Court, according to a 1997 article that can be found in The Dallas Morning News archives. Greene dated Seinfeld in the 1980s and was the inspiration for his show’s “The Pez Dispenser” episode.

In attendance at Greene’s fundraiser was Texas Supreme Court Justice Greg Abbott, who would later become governor. Abbott said he was a Seinfeld fanatic who watches reruns of the classic sitcom "every opportunity I get.”

Seinfeld stars have raised money across the country. Louis-Dreyfus, who hosted one night of the Democratic National Convention, reunited with her Veep cast-mates earlier this month to raise money for the Democratic Party of Wisconsin. In May, Louis-Dreyfus and Alexander held an Instagram Live to raise money for frontline workers fighting the COVID-19 pandemic.

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President Donald Trump won the Lone Star State by 9 percentage points in 2016, and while Texas still leans Republican, changing demographics and voter enthusiasm could improve Democrats' chances this election season. Democrats are looking to flip seats up and down the ballot — including Republican John Cornyn’s U.S. Senate seat to the GOP-dominated state Legislature.

Texas Democratic Party Chair Gilberto Hinojosa said in a statement that the “infrastructure” to turn Texas blue is already in place, especially in light of record-breaking early voting.

“Texas Democrats are rising,” Hinojosa said. “The eyes of the world are on us. We’re building the movement necessary to be victorious in 14 days. Texas is the biggest battleground state in the country, and if we do the work, keep the faith, and turn out every voter, we will win this state.”

That stars from a show about Manhattan urbanites are partnering with Democrats in an effort to turn Texas blue is unlikely to be lost on Texas Republicans. GOP officials have already criticized their Democratic opponents for receiving campaign finance from outside of the state.