Abbott Muscles into Speaker Territory
Without Apparent Phelan Push Back
Capitol Inside
December 1, 2023
Governor Greg Abbott is throwing protocol out the window with an appearance that sets for Friday in Temple where he plans to make a pitch for Republican challenger Hillary Hickland in a bid to unseat State Rep. Hugh Shine of Temple in the March primary election.
Abbott started muscling in on Texas House Speaker Dade Phelan's turf when he endorsed Hickland two days before pitching his support on Thursday behind Aledo Republican Mike Olcott in a primary rematch with State Rep. Glenn Rogers of Graford in House District 60.
Abbott was on the verge of turning against Republican State Rep. Kyle Kacal of College Station earlier this week in a move that prompted the incumbent's abrupt decision to call off a re-election race in 2024. The governor issued an endorsement later on the same day to Trey Wharton in a bid for the House District 12 seat that Kacal had planned to seek again before the unexpected plug pulling.
The Republican governor's emergence in the challengers' camps comes a direct response to the House's burial of a school choice proposal two weeks ago in a vote that had 21 Republicans on the winning side with the Democrats. Kacal is one of at least five anti-vouchers Republicans who won't be on the ballot again next year.
But Shine, Rogers and Kacal were in a group of 60 House Republicans who Phelan promised to protect when they rallied behind the GOP leadership team with votes in the spring for Attorney General Ken Paxton's impeachment.
There's been no sign of resistance from the speaker's camp - however - with Abbott's unprecedented intrusion in the House primaries without regard of respect for Phelan or leadership boundaries in a sharp break with tradition at the Capitol in Austin.
While Phelan has his plate full with at least two primary challengers at home in House District 21, he could find it difficult to keep his hold on the gavel in 2025 if he survives the re-election bid but fails to come to the defense of the representatives who Abbott is targeting in round one next year.
The list of House Republicans who voted to kill education savings accounts in November after backing Paxton's impeachment in the spring includes State Reps. Ernest Bailes of Shepherd, Stan Lambert of Abilene, Gary VanDeaver of New Boston, Jay Dean of Longview, Drew Darby of San Angelo, Steve Allison of San Antonio, John Kuempel of Seguin, Charlie Geren of Fort Worth and Ken King of Canadian. All nine of those are facing primary opposition in 2024.
King drew his first primary foe on Friday when Hale County GOP chair Karen Post of Plainview emerged as a candidate in House District 88. Phelan's predecessor Dennis Bonnen was supposedly involved in the recruiting of Post for the fight with King as payback on ESAs.
Dean attracted a second first-round opponent on Friday with Joe McDaniel's entry into the field of primary contenders in House District 7 along with Bonnie Walters.
The running count of House Republicans with primary opposition was up to a record-shattering 41 by Friday morning with a week to go before the filing deadline. Only three of those - State Reps. Travis Clardy of Nacogdoches, John Smithee of Amarillo and Steve Toth of The Woodlands voted against the move to impeach the three-time elected attorney general during the final weekend of the regular session in May.
Phelan contributed more than $285,000 to Rogers in 2022 when he beat Olcott in a primary runoff election with less than 51 percent of the vote. The speaker donated to Shine as well last year when he spent $53,000 on Kacal.
more to come ...
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DISTRICT |
CANDIDATES |
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| 1 |
SD 30 |
Cody Clark (R) |
Carrie de Moor (R) |
| |
SD 30 |
Brent Hagenbush (R) |
Matthew McGhee (D) |
| 2 |
SD 15 |
Molly Cook (D) |
Todd Litton (D) |
| |
SD 15 |
Joseph Trahan (R) |
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