Anti-Darby PAC Spokesman’s Lewd Past Exposed

SAN ANGELO, TX — In January, voters in San Angelo and other towns across Texas House District 72 were bombarded with mailers and text messages declaring incumbent State Rep. Drew Darby unfit for office. These messages accused him of being too liberal, too lenient on border issues, and generally unworthy of the Republican label—or even of being a good man.

Many of these attacks were funded by the American Federation for Children (AFC), an organization that claims to champion conservative values by advocating for school choice, allowing parents to redirect tax dollars to private schools. The AFC Victory Fund, a political action committee associated with AFC, reportedly spent around $345,000 on negative advertising against Darby.

A key spokesman for AFC during this campaign was Corey DeAngelis, a self-described “senior fellow” with the organization. However, recent revelations reported by the website Current Revolt have cast a shadow over DeAngelis’s credibility. The site, published by Tony Ortiz, claims that DeAngelis had a past as a gay pornography actor, using the stage name “Seth Rose” over a decade ago.

According to Current Revolt, "School choice hero and author Corey DeAngelis is allegedly the star of several videos hosted on gay porn websites. The man, who looks and sounds exactly like DeAngelis, can be seen masturbating and performing other lewd acts. In one video, he participates in what is described as a ‘jerk-off race.’”

DeAngelis and the AFC became involved in the District 72 race as part of an effort to unseat Darby, who had drawn the ire of Governor Greg Abbott for opposing a private school voucher initiative. Darby argued that the proposal would drain funding from public schools, especially harming smaller rural districts, and ultimately burden taxpayers with billions in costs.

The push to use public funds for private school vouchers has been a key agenda item for far-right and evangelical groups in recent elections. These groups argue that public schools no longer reflect their values, particularly regarding LGBTQ and transgender issues. They see school vouchers as a way to direct tax dollars toward private schools where parents can choose curricula aligned with their beliefs.

One of the largest financial backers of the effort to oust Darby was the AFC Victory Fund. Notable supporters of this PAC include former Trump administration Secretary of Education Betsy DeVos and her husband. The organization is chaired by San Francisco billionaire William Oberndorf, whose political affiliations have evolved over the years—from supporting Barack Obama in 2008 to funding Mitt Romney’s 2012 presidential campaign. Oberndorf also contributed to a PAC supporting Arizona Democratic Senator Kyrsten Sinema’s 2024 re-election bid.

Current Revolt exposed DeAngelis’s past on Thursday, September 19. Following the revelations, DeAngelis—previously an active voice on X (formerly Twitter)—went silent. By Sunday evening, his name had been removed from the AFC website, although he still lists himself as a "senior fellow" for AFC on his LinkedIn profile.

Ironically, DeAngelis was highly praised earlier this year at the Texas Republican Convention, where he introduced his book, The Parent Revolution: Rescuing Your Kids from the Radicals Ruining Our Schools.

Darby's former opponent — a Tea Party favorite and pro-voucher candidate named Stormy Bradley —  was also exposed by former Tom Green County Chairman Jeff Betty for her lingerie modeling efforts while a sitting member of the Coahoma ISD Board of Trustees.