18 Challengers Who Back Secession Vote
Score Paxton and Abbott Support for Bids
Primary Endorsements
Capitol Inside
January 25, 2024
Attorney General Ken Paxton vowed on Thursday to "stand shoulder-to-shoulder" with Governor Greg Abbott at the border at the same time the two go toe-to-toe in at least 20 Texas House districts where the state's top leader is backing Republicans who voted for the state lawyer's impeachment last spring.
But Abbott and Paxton are holding their tongues in silence on the volcanic issue of secession after endorsing 18 House challengers who have promised in writing to do everything they can if elected to force a statewide vote on the state's withdrawal from the United States of America.
Abbott has thrown his muscle behind two GOP challengers - Janet Holt of Silsbee and Stormy Bradley of Big Spring - who've promised to push as elected representatives to help bring about the nonbinding referendum on whether Texas should reassert its status as an independent nation.
Paxton in contrast has endorsed 16 House candidates who have signed the Texas Nationalist Movement pledge to vigorously support the election on a potential split from the nation that the Republicans here all claimed to love in the past.
The House candidates who favor a secession vote and have endorsements from Paxton include David Covey of Orange, Larrisa Ramirez of League City, John Perez of Houston, Janine Chapa of Georgetown, Mitch Little of Lewisville, David Lowe of North Richland Hills, Shelley Luther of Sherman, Kyle Biedermann of Fredericksburg, Jack Reynolds of Azle, Tom Glass of McDade, Paulette Carson of Apple Springs, Bianca Gracia of Pasadena, Dale Huls of DeKalb, Wes Virdell of Brady, Andy Hopper of Decatur and Holt.
Little played a key supporting role in Paxton's impeachment trial in the Texas Senate as a lawyer for the defense. The House District 65 race that pits Little against rookie Republican State Rep. Kronda Thimesch of Lewisville has been one of Paxton's paramount targets in a redemption tour aimed at the House Republicans who tried and failed to throw him out of office last spring.
Holt is the only House challenger who backs a vote on a reboot of Texas as a separate nation after reaping endorsements from Abbott and Paxton along with U.S. Senator Ted Cruz and Agriculture Commissioner Sid Miller as well. Holt is running for the House District 18 seat that Republican State Rep. Ernest Bailes of Shepherd is attempting to defend in 2024.
Republican House hopeful Hillary Hickland of Belton and Marc LaHood of San Antonio are the only other primary challengers with the formal support of all four major Texas leaders for their campaigns this year.
Abbott endorsed Holt one week ago with the same canned pitch that he served up for Bradley early last month.
“As a lifelong Republican, Janis Holt is the type of conservative leader Texans in House District 18 need representing them in Austin,” Abbott said in an email on January 18. “Not only will Janis help me carry a school choice bill across the finish line, she will also advocate for strong border security measures, policies that cut property taxes, and laws that protect the unborn. I encourage all Texans across House District 18 to join me in supporting Janis Holt for State Representative.”
The governor viewed Bradley, who's challenging State Rep. Drew Darby of San Angelo in round one, in the same bell cow running back light in which he envisions Holt.
“Stormy Bradley is the only conservative in the race for House District 72 that will help me bring school choice across the finish line,” Abbott declared in an email on December 7. “I know she will work tirelessly to empower parents to choose the best education option for their child; ensure Texas has the tools and resources it needs to continue to respond to President Biden’s disastrous open border policies; and put us on a path to eliminate property taxes so homeowners and small businesses can continue to thrive in our booming economy."
While Abbott declined to mention Holt's position on a vote to leave the U.S., his silence on the issue raises the specter that he has no major problems with a secession election on which he and Paxton have both been neutral from a public perspective.
Abbott is enthusiastically supporting 25 House Republicans who voted to impeach the attorney general. But Paxton made it clear today that he's an Abbott ally when it's convenient nonetheless.
"As your Attorney General, I stand ready to bringing any legal means necessary to defend Texas," Paxton informed Abbott in a post on X. "We will push back against this out of control Federal Government to defend our state sovereignty."
more to come ...
| Texas House Primary Endorsements - Incumbents |
| |
Abbott |
Paxton |
Cruz |
Miller |
Dade Phelan (Inc)
David Covey
Alicia Davis |
|
Covey |
|
Covey |
Jeff Leach (Inc)
Daren Meis |
Leach |
Meis |
|
Meis |
Kronda Thimesch (Inc)
Mitch Little |
Thimesch |
Little |
|
Little |
Glenn Rogers (Inc)
Brandon Hall
Mike Olcott |
Olcott |
Olcott |
|
Olcott |
Frederick Frazier (Inc)
Chuck Branch
Keresa Richardson |
|
Branch
Richardson |
|
Richardson |
Lynn Stucky (Inc)
Elaine Hays
Andy Hopper |
Stucky |
Hopper |
|
Hopper |
Jacey Jetton (Inc)
Matt Morgan
Jessica Huang
|
Jetton |
Morgan |
|
Morgan |
Gary VanDeaver (Inc)
Dale Hules
Chris Spencer
|
Spencer |
Huls |
|
Spencer |
Justin Holland (Inc)
Dennis London
Katrina Pierson
|
|
Pierson |
|
Pierson |
DeWayne Burns (Inc)
Helen Kerwin
Lyndon Laird |
Kerwin |
Kerwin |
Kerwin |
|
Reggie Smith (Inc)
Shelley Luther
|
|
Luther |
Luther |
Luther |
Mano DeAyala (Inc)
John Perez
|
DeAyala |
Perez |
|
Perez |
Lacey Hull (Inc)
Jared Woodfill
|
Hull |
Woodfill |
|
Woodfill |
Hugh Shine (Inc)
Hillary Hickland
Davis Ford
|
Hickland |
Hickland |
Hickland |
Hickland |
Candy Noble (Inc)
Abraham George
|
Noble |
George |
|
George |
Stephanie Klick (Inc)
Teresa Gonzalez
David Lowe |
Klick |
Lowe |
|
Lowe |
Drew Darby (Inc)
Stormy Bradley
Aimee Carrasco
|
Bradley |
|
|
|
Briscoe Cain (Inc)
Bianca Gracia |
Cain |
Gracia |
|
Gracia |
Ben Bumgarner (Inc)
Carlos Andino Jr.
Vincent Gallo
|
Bumgarner |
Gallo |
|
|
John Kuempel (Inc)
David Freimarck
Alan Schoolcraft
Greg Switzer
|
|
Schoolcraft |
Schoolcraft |
|
Steve Allison (Inc)
Michael Champion
Marc LaHood
|
LaHood |
LaHood |
LaHood |
LaHood |
Ernest Bailes (Inc)
Janet Holt
Stephen Missick |
Holt |
Holt |
Holt |
Holt |
Steve Toth (Inc)
Skeeter Hubert |
|
|
Toth |
|
David Spiller (Inc)
Kerri Kingsbery
|
Spiller |
Kingsbery |
|
Kingsbery |
Morgan Meyer (Inc)
Barry Wernick
|
Meyer |
Wernick |
|
Wernick |
Matt Shaheen (Inc)
Wayne Richard |
Shaheen |
Richard |
|
|
Travis Clardy (Inc)
Joanne Shofner
|
Shofner |
Clardy |
Shofner |
|
Stan Lambert (Inc)
Charles Byrn
Liz Case
|
|
Case |
Case |
|
Keith Bell (Inc)
Joshua Feuerstein
|
|
Feurerstein |
|
|
Dustin Burrows (Inc)
Wade Cowan
|
Burrows |
Cowan |
|
Cowan |
Ken King (Inc)
Karen Post |
|
Post |
|
Post |
Jay Dean (Inc)
Joe McDaniel
Bonnie Walters
|
|
|
|
McDaniel |
Cole Hefner (Inc)
Dewey Collier
Jeff Fletcher |
Hefner |
Fletcher |
|
|
Charlie Geren (Inc)
Jack Reynolds
|
|
Reynolds |
|
|
Ellen Troxclair (Inc)
Kyle Biedermann
Manny Campos
|
Troxclair |
Biedermann |
|
Biedermann |
Stan Gerdes (Inc)
Tom Glass
|
Gerdes |
Glass |
|
|
Gary Gates (Inc)
Dan Mathews |
Gates |
|
|
|
Stan Kitzman (Inc)
Tim Greeson |
Kitzman |
|
|
Kitzman |
Terry Wilson (Inc)
Janine Chapa
|
Wilson |
Chapa |
|
|
Greg Bonnen (Inc)
Larrisa Ramirez
|
Bonnen |
|
|
|
Cody Harris (Inc)
Jaye Curtis |
Harris |
Curtis |
|
|
Trent Ashby (Inc)
Paulette Carson
|
Ashby |
Carson |
|
|
Gio Capriglione (Inc)
Brad Schofield
|
Capriglione |
|
|
|
Angie Chen Button (Inc)
Chad Carnahan
|
Button |
|
|
|
John Smithee (Inc)
Jamie Haynes
|
Smithee |
Smithee |
|
Smithee |
|
| Texas House Primary Endorsements - Open |
| |
Abbott |
Paxton |
Cruz |
Miller |
HD 12
Ben Bius
John Harvey Slocum
Trey Wharton |
Wharton |
|
|
Bius |
HD 87
Richard Beyea
Cindi Bulla
Caroline Fairly
Jesse Quackenbush
|
Fairly |
|
|
Fairly |
HD 97
Cheryl Bean
John McQueeney
Leslie Robnett
|
|
|
|
|
HD 2
Brent Money
Jill Dutton |
Money |
Money |
|
Money |
HD 56
Devvie Duke
Pat Curry |
Curry |
Duke |
|
|
HD 29
Jeffrey Barry
Alex Kamkar
Edgar Pacheco
Trent Perez
|
|
|
|
|
HD 53
Hatch Smith
Wes Virdell |
|
Virdell |
|
Virdell |
HD 30
Bret Baldwin
Jeff Bauknight
Vanessa Hicks-Callaway
AJ Louderback |
Bauknight |
|
|
|
HD 14
Rick Davis
Paul Dyson |
Dyson |
|
|
|
|
|
