Abbott Endorsements Could Make
Difference in GOP House Runoffs
Capitol Inside
March 28, 2022
Governor Greg Abbott threw his weight on Monday behind a pair of Texas House candidates in GOP primary runoffs in open Texas House races in the Austin and Galveston areas this spring.
Abbott came off the sideline in overtime with endorsements that he served up to Patrick Gurski of Galveston and Caroline Harris of Round Rock for second round duels with Terri Leo-Wilson and Patrick McGuinness respectively. The Republican governor endorsed freshman State Rep. Glenn Rogers of Graford as well today for a runoff clash on May 24 with challenger Mike Olcott of Aledo.
Harris serves on State Senator Bryan Hughes' staff as a policy analyst and office manager. Hughes has contributed $55,000 to Harris in her bid for the House District 52 seat. Hughes, a Mineola Republican, is one of the most powerful lawmakers in Austin as the Senate State Affairs Committee chairman. State Rep. Mayes Middleton - a Galveston Republican who's a Texas Senate nominee in 2022 - donated $30,000 to Harris. The Texas Right to Life PAC gave Harris $17,000 before she advanced to a runoff as the runner-up in an initial field of four Republicans.
Harris trailed McGuinness by almost 4 percent points in round one when she garnered 31 percent in a field of four candidates in the battle for a seat that Democratic State Rep. James Talarico represented in Williamson County before a shift to Austin after GOP lawmakers redrew his district last year for one of their own.
McGuinness had a massive fundraising advantage before the first round vote after floating his campaign for HB 52 on a $400,000 loan. McGuinness had support on the far right from the Young Conservatives of Texas, the Texas Eagle Forum, several tea party groups and Agriculture Commissioner Sid Miller. Harris may have a chance to even the playing field with Abbott's formal blessings as a probable magnet for campaign cash in OT.
Abbott's endorsement may be more of a surprise in House District 23 where Gurski and Leo-Wilson emerged from a field of four with 31 percent and 28 percent of the primary vote respectively on March 1.
Leo-Wilson served for 10 years on the State Board of Education until stepping down in 2011. She was one of the SBOE's most conservative members during that time. Leo-Wilson set her sights on the HD 23 seat as soon as Middleton announced his plans for a Senate bid a day before the December filing deadline. Leo-Wilson hit the ground running with $102,000 in loans that her husband guaranteed. GOP State Rep. Briscoe Cain of Deer Park had been Leo-Wilson's largest donor in round one with a contribution last month of $15,000.
Gurski has appeared to be the more establishment candidate on paper in the House district that covers all of Galveston Island with Chambers County in its jurisdiction as well. Gurski is an attorney who was deployed to Afghanistan as a Texas National Guard member while still in law school. Gurski has ties to former Texas House Democrat Craig Eiland, who also practices law in Galveston. But Gurski appears to have Middleton in his corner based on advertising on his campaign web site.
Abbott's intervention has game-changing potential in the coastal district.
The governor dropped the word conservative in the first two sentences of the glowing assessment that he dished out to Harris for the runoff in HD 52.
"Caroline Harris is a life-long conservative. Her experience working for conservative priorities with the Legislature will give her constituents a proven fighter with strong pro-life and Second Amendment credentials. I urge everyone in House District 52 to support Caroline Harris in the May 24th Republican Primary Runoff," Abbott said in email today.
Conservative didn't appear in the governor's pitch for Gurski. “Patrick Gurski has a long record of public service which includes distinguished service in Afghanistan and as the head of the Galveston County District Attorney’s human trafficking division. Mr. Gurski will be a strong advocate for Texas families, and one of my closest allies as we seek to secure our border. I urge everyone in District 23 to support him in the May 24th Republican Primary Runoff,” Abbott said.
