Abbott Rallies Behind House Challenger
Who's Vowed to Back Vote to Leave U.S.
Capitol Inside
December 11, 2023
Governor Greg Abbott served up a cookie-cutter endorsement last week to a Texas House candidate who supports a vote on the transformation of Texas into an independent nation with its secession from the United States.
Abbott's candidate - Stormy Bradley of Big Spring - is one of 20 Texas House challengers who've formally endorsed a so-called Texas First pledge that the group Take Texas Back is giving candidates a chance to sign in exchange for its support in bids to oust incumbents in the March primary election. That number could rise before the end of the filing period on Monday night.
Bradley is taking aim at veteran GOP State Rep. Drew Darby of San Angelo in the primary competition in House District 72. Abbott had pitched his support behind a half-dozen challengers in House primaries heading into Monday.
All of the incumbents who the governor is targeting voted in November to kill an education savings accounts plan in a special session that Abbott devoted to school choice. The governor has rallied behind challengers in first-round contests for seats that State Reps. Steve Allison of San Antonio, Travis Clardy of Nacogdoches, Glenn Rogers of Graford, Hugh Shine of Temple, Gary VanDeaver of New Boston and Darby.
Abbott is backing Marc LaHood of San Antonio, Joanne Shofner of Nacogdoches and Chris Spencer of Lindon against Allison, Clardy and Spencer respectively. Abbott has issued endorsements to Hillary Hickland of Belton and Mike Olcott of Aledo respectively for fights with Shine and Rogers as well.
The third-term governor has yet to take sides in primary contests featuring 11 other House Republicans who teamed up with Democrats to bury ESAs in the failed session last month. But Bradley is the only Abbott-certified contender who's vowed to support a referendum on Texas "reasserting its status" as a separate country than the United States of America.
Abbott didn't say whether he also supports a vote on a Texas republic reboot in an enthusiatic endorsements that he lobbed to Bradley last week for the clash with Darby in HD 72. All but one of the Abbott challenger plugs up to now in House races have been assembly-line products that tout the chosen candidates' support for school choice, border security and property tax relief.
Abbott's endorsement composers strayed from the script on Saturday with a pitch for Spencer over VanDeaver in House District 1. The governor mentioned school choice and the border in the Spencer endorsement with nothing about tax cuts. But every Republican and most Democrats in the Legislature voted to slash property taxes in a summer special session this year. All of the House Republicans who voted against ESAs in the fourth called session this fall supported property tax reductions and border measures in 2023. It's safe to assume Spencer would as well.
So those all are a wash as a result as far as contrasting candidates who the governor is backing beyond votes for or against school choice and the Darby opponent and the fantasy proposal on Texas leaving the U.S. that Bradley and a long list of other House GOP challengers have promised in writing to try to make come true if elected to the Legislature next year.
Abbott had never openly advocated a vote of the people to secede from the USA. But the governor will be raising the specter that he backs such a move or has no problem with it if he remains silent on Bradley's inking of the Take Texas Back pledge. Abbott articulated his support for Bradley in an email last week.
“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 asserted. “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."
The group that has embraced the pledge includes Kyle Biedermann - a former House Republican from Fredericksbury in a bid to unseat freshman State Rep. Ellen Troxclair of Lakeyway in the GOP primary in House District 19. Biedermann sponsored a measure that would put the question of secession on the statewide ballot if had received a vote in the House and passed.
Republicans David Covey of Orange and Alicia Davis of Jasper both signed the pledge as challengers who have their sights set on Speaker Dade Phelan in House District 121. Here's the running count of House challengers who've signed the TTB pledge.
HD 1 - Dale Huls
HD 5 - Dewey Collier
HD 8 - Jaye Curtis
HD 9 - Paulette Carlson
HD 17 - Tom Glass
HD 18 - Janis Holt
HD 19 - Kyle Biedermann
HD 21 - David Covey, Alicia Davis
HD 33 - Dennis London
HD 44 - Greg Switzer
HD 53 - Wes Virdell
HD 62 - Shelley Luther
HD 64 - Andy Hopper
HD 71 - Charles Byrn
HD 72 - Stormy Bradley
HD 85 - Tim Greeson
HD 99 - Jack Reynolds
HD 121 - Michael Champion
HD 128 - Bianca Gracia
|
