Run Off Election Round Up

Historic Routing of Establishment Incumbents Continued

In race after race, voters unseated incumbents loyal to House Speaker Dade Phelan on Tuesday night. At issue in many of those races were the incumbents’ votes to impeach Attorney General Ken Paxton and their opposition to school choice.
In Arlington, Phelan chairwoman Stephanie Klick was retired by voters in favor of David Lowe.
Incumbent Rep. Lynn Stucky (R-Sanger) was handily defeated by conservative challenger Andy Hopper.
Disgraced Rep. Frederick Frazier (R-McKinney) lost in a landslide to Keresa Richardson.
Voters benched Rep. Justin Holland (R-Heath) in favor of former Trump advisor Katrina Pierson.
Helen Kerwin overwhelmed Rep. DeWayne Burns (R-Cleburne).
Voters fired Rep. John Kuempel of Seguin in favor of former lawmaker Alan Schoolcraft.

Dade Phelan Scores Pyrrhic Victory

By a razor-thin margin, Dade Phelan will keep his seat in the Texas House, surviving an electoral wave that claimed several of his allies across the state.

Phelan’s narrow victory over former Orange County GOP Chair David Covey marks an improbable feat, becoming the only speaker to survive a runoff election in Texas.

Covey acknowledged the landslide victories across the state for other conservative challengers. “Because we have tied up the speaker’s resources, we are winning races all around the state tonight.”

Covey also asserted that Phelan only won with the help of Democrats. In the March primary, nine percent of voters in the race had Democrat voting history.
     

The only other incumbent House member to win last night was Gary VanDeaver of New Boston, who fended off a challenge from Chris Spencer in House District 1.

SBOE Incumbents Hold on to Seats

The two incumbent members of the State Board of Education who were being challenged from the right held on to their seats in the GOP runoff last night.

Tom Maynard from Central Texas and Pam Little from the Metroplex both won re-election to the 15-member board that oversees curriculum and teacher certification in the state’s government-run schools.

Gonzales Keeps Seat, Goldman Secures GOP Nomination

U.S. Rep. Tony Gonzales and former Texas House GOP Caucus Chairman Craig Goldman were victorious in their respective races to represent Texas in the United States House of Representatives.

Gonzales fended off a challenge from Second Amendment activist Brandon Herrera. Goldman beat businessman John O’Shea in the open-seat race.

Tuesday marked the GOP primary runoff elections, and voters are ushering in their Republican candidates for open seats.

 

In House District 12, Trey Wharton overwhelmingly defeated Ben Bius—taking just over 72 percent of the vote.

Wharton was endorsed by Gov. Greg Abbott, the Texas Farm Bureau, and the Texas Alliance for Life. Current HD 12 State Rep. Kyle Kacal (R-College Station) decided not to run for reelection after voting against school choice last year. Bius was endorsed by Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick, Attorney General Ken Paxton, and Agriculture Commissioner Sid Miller.

In House District 29, Jeffrey Barry defeated Alex Kamkar. Barry—endorsed by the Texas Association of Firefighters, Texas Right to Life, and Agriculture Teachers Association of Texas—won over 58 percent of the total votes.

Kamkar, endorsed by Abbott, Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick, and U.S. Senator Ted Cruz, received 41 percent.

 Current HD 29 State Rep. Ed Thompson (R-Pearland) did not run for reelection.

In House District 30, AJ Louderback has secured just over 55 percent of the vote—compared to Jeff Bauknight’s near-45 percent.

Louderback was endorsed by Paxton, Patrick, and Miller. Bauknight was endorsed by Abbott and current State Rep. Geanie Morrison (R-Victoria), who had announced her retirement from the legislature.

House District 97, the fourth and final open seat, was incredibly close. John McQueeney narrowly beat Cheryl Bean 51.4 percent to 48.6 percent.

Rep. Craig Goldman (R-Fort Worth), who defeated business owner John O’Shea

 for U.S. District 12 following the retirement of

The Republican primary runoff winners will face Democrat challengers in the November general election.

Abbott says He Has the Votes for School Choice in the Texas House After Runoff Victories

Gov. Greg Abbott anticipates he has now secured the necessary number of votes to pass school choice in the next legislative session.

• CAMERON ABRAMS

Gov. Greg Abbott holding a pro-school choice event with students at the Texas Capitol.

(The Texan/Daniel Friend)

As many GOP incumbents lost to pro-school choice challengers in Tuesday’s runoff elections, Gov. Greg Abbott is celebrating the notion that he may be able to get his priority legislation across the finish line next legislative session.

“The Texas legislature now has enough votes to pass school choice,” Abbott wrote in the aftermath of the runoff elections Tuesday night.

“Together, we will ensure the best future for our children.”

Katrina Pierson ousted incumbent Rep. Justin Holland (R-Rockwell), Alan Schoolcraft defeated Rep. John Kuempel (R-Seguin), and Helen Kerwin took down Rep. DeWayne Burns (R-Cleburne).

After the March 5 primary set the stage with multiple anti-school choice incumbents losing or stepping into open seats, the floor was set for the trend to continue in the runoffs.

In total, 14 new pro-school choice members will likely be taking seats in the Texas House — nine challengers who beat incumbents and five who took over open seats.

Corey DeAngelis, a school choice advocate, called it a “political earthquake.”

If all pro-school choice candidates win in November, that will put 77 pro-school choice members in the Texas House — compared to the 63 who voted against stripping ESAs from the education omnibus last year.

Throughout the entire 88th Legislative Session, including its four special sessions, school choice legislation was a constant source of fighting among lawmakers. The twists and turns of this policy debate culminated in November, when an amendment from Rep. John Raney (R-College Station) was adopted to remove education savings accounts (ESA), the governor’s preferred mechanism for school choice, from the House’s education omnibus bill.

Abbott made his school choice preference well-known, as he would continue to rally for pro-school choice candidates who were challenging incumbents while also endorsing the 58 members who voted against Raney’s amendment that stripped ESAs from the education legislation.

House Speaker Dade Phelan (R-Beaumont), who also won his runoff race, released interim charges earlier this month, including that the Committee on Public Education will evaluate how ESAs are used in other states and make recommendations for a program in Texas.

Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick also released a list of interim charges for the Texas Senate and said the issue of school choice will be a priority going into the 89th Legislature.

“Come January 2025, the Senate will hit the ground running at the start of the 89th Legislative Session,” Patrick said. “The priorities of the conservative majority of Texans will be accomplished, including school choice, continued property tax relief, and strengthening the power grid.”