After facing backlash from GOP party members for allowing Democrats to head committees and pushing for Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton’s impeachment, House Speaker Dade Phelan narrowly won Tuesday’s contentious GOP primary runoff against David Covey.
Mr. Phelan secured 12,813 votes compared to Mr. Covey’s 12,447 votes, a slim margin of only 366 votes or 1.4 percent, according to unofficial results.
In response to his victory, Mr. Phelan expressed gratitude to the voters of Southeast Texas, emphasizing their support for values and community independence in a statement on X.
The primary runoff highlighted the divide among GOP supporters, with some backing Mr. Phelan’s efforts to impeach Attorney General Ken Paxton alongside Democratic lawmakers, while others did not support this move.
This outcome marked a reversal from the March primary, where Mr. Covey had received 46.3 percent of the vote compared to Mr. Phelan’s 43.3 percent, leading to a runoff between the two Republicans. A third candidate, Alicia Davis, received only 10.5 percent of the votes.
Despite strong endorsements from prominent GOP figures like former President Donald Trump, Attorney General Ken Paxton, and Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick, Mr. Covey’s campaign fell short in securing the desired results at the polls.
On the other hand, Mr. Phelan garnered support from Republican strategist Karl Rove and former leaders such as Rick Perry and Kay Bailey Hutchison, positioning him for a sixth term in the Texas House without a Democratic opponent in the upcoming general election.
However, Mr. Phelan’s future as House Speaker for the 2025 legislative session remains uncertain, especially after more than a dozen of his GOP allies lost their reelection bids.
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Following Mr. Phelan’s victory, several of his GOP critics, including Attorney General Ken Paxton and Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick, claimed that he had secured the win with support from Democratic voters.
Mr. Paxton criticized the election results, alleging that Mr. Phelan had orchestrated a strategy to rely on Democratic votes in the Republican runoff, calling for an end to open primaries in Texas.
Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick echoed similar sentiments, accusing Mr. Phelan of winning the runoff with Democrat support and criticizing his leadership style.
Mr. Paxton also issued a warning to Republican House members considering supporting Mr. Phelan as Speaker in the next legislative session, urging them to reconsider their decision in light of the election outcome.
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