Texas’ two most powerful Republicans are set for a political showdown in Tuesday’s Republican primary runoff elections.
And a Republican congressman whose district was the site of the horrific Uvalde school shooting in 2022 and who has crossed ranks with his party on key issues is fighting for his political life against an opponent backed by far-right members of the House.
The most closely watched showdown will be east of Houston, pitting Texas House Speaker Dade Phelan against challenger David Covey, who is backed by Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton and former President Donald Trump..
Phelan oversaw the effort to impeach Paxton on corruption charges last year after the controversial attorney general was overwhelmingly impeached by the House and Paxton was acquitted by the state Senate.
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Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton (left) and Governor Greg Abbott (AP Photo/Eric Gay/File)
Mr Paxton has responded by targeting more than 30 Republican incumbent state legislators, including Mr Phelan, and one of his strongest allies, Mr Trump, has endorsed Mr Covey.
Republican Gov. Greg Abbott is seeking retaliation for an education plan that was rejected by the state Assembly last year that would have opened the taps for taxpayer funding of private schools. His biggest legislative agenda last year, an education voucher bill, passed the state Senate but was defeated in the Assembly, a rare political setback for the governor..
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House Speaker Dade Phelan assumes his Speaker role on August 26, 2021, in Austin, Texas. (AP Photo/Eric Gay)
Nine Republican state legislators were defeated in the state’s March primary and eight more advanced to runoff elections — all of whom were targeted by either Mr. Abbott or Mr. Paxton or both the governor and attorney general.
“This is a power struggle and it’s certainly a battle for the heart and soul of the Texas Republican Party. Governor Abbott wants to get legislators who support his policies,” Brendan Steinhauser, a veteran Texas-based Republican strategist, told Fox News.
“Ken Paxton and [Lt. Gov.] To them, Dan Patrick and his surrogate Donald Trump must be trying to remove the man who led the impeachment against Ken Paxton and got in the way of Dan Patrick’s agenda in the Senate. All of these factors combine to be very powerful forces that the Speaker must overcome.”
Former President Trump spoke at the National Rifle Association convention in Dallas on May 18, 2024. (AP Photo/LM Otero)
Another legislative runoff race likely to attract attention is in suburban Dallas, where former Trump campaign adviser and spokeswoman Katrina Pierson, with the backing of both Abbott and Paxton, is seeking to unseat state Rep. Justin Holland.
The nationally watched Republican House primary runoff election is taking place in the southwestern part of the state, where Republican Rep. Tony Gonzalez is running for a third two-year term representing a predominantly Hispanic district along the U.S.-Mexico border.
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Texas’ 23rd Congressional District has the most border area of any congressional district, with more than 800 miles of U.S.-Mexico border and including the city of Uvalde, where a mass shooting at an elementary school two years ago left 19 children and two adults dead.
Gonzalez, who has opposed party lines on gun safety, immigration and same-sex marriage, will face off in the runoff election against Brandon Herrera, a gun rights advocate known for his gun-themed YouTube channel called “The AK Guy.”
Congressman Tony Gonzalez (R-TX) (Bill Clark/CQ-Roll Call via Getty Images/File)
Gonzalez has the endorsement of Governor Abbott and Lt. Governor Dan Patrick, while Herrera has the backing of controversial Florida Rep. Matt Gaetz and other far-right members of Congress.
Steinhauser said Heller characterized the showdown as “a battle between the establishment and far-right populists,” while Gonzalez said, ” [protect] his right flank
But, he added, “Tony has a pretty large presence in the conservative ecosystem. He appears frequently on Fox News and talks about the border.”
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