Texans voted in runoffs for a number of offices on Tuesday, with closely contested races in the primary for two congressional seats and a tough battle among Republicans for the House speaker’s seat.
All of Tuesday’s contests came because no candidate received a majority of votes in the March primary election.
Jay Furman, a retired Marine officer who served in the military for nearly 30 years, defeated Lazaro Garza Jr., a rancher, in the Republican primary and challenged Rep. Henry Cuellar, a moderate Democrat who was indicted on bribery charges .
In a separate race on Tuesday, Mr. Cuellar’s sister — Rosie Cuellar, a former county tax assessor — is running in a Democratic primary for a seat in the state House of Representatives. This contest could provide clues as to how much Cuellar’s name has been damaged by his indictment.
Here are two more races we’re keeping an eye on:
U.S. House District 23
Rep. Tony Gonzales, a Republican who recently called some far-right members of his party “scumbags,” was forced into a runoff against Brandon Herrera, a gun rights activist, after receiving just 45 percent of the primary vote. Mr. Herrera received about 25 percent in a five-person race.
Mr. Gonzales was first elected in 2020 to represent a swing district along the border, but the seat became more Republican-leaning through redistricting. And Mr. Gonzales has bucked the party line on some issues: He voted for a bipartisan gun control bill after the school massacre in Uvalde, Texas, and for a gay marriage bill. He also once opposed tough immigration policies and the Texas Republican Party censured him – but he has since turned to those policies.
Mr. Herrera, a YouTuber who calls himself “the AK guy” after the assault rifle, is hoping to consolidate votes that went to several right-wing candidates who opposed Mr. Gonzales in the first round. He was endorsed by Rep. Matt Gaetz of Florida and other members of the House Freedom Caucus, but House Republican leaders are supporting Mr. Gonzales.
Texas House District 21
Texas House Speaker Dade Phelan is facing a tough Republican competition with David Covey, a former county party chairman who has never run for state office before. Mr. Covey is backed by several wealthy donors and has been endorsed by Mr. Trump, whose blessing played a large role in the Republican primary.
Mr. Covey was narrowly ahead of Mr. Phelan in the first round, 46 percent to 43 percent.
Much of the opposition to Mr. Phelan is being driven by Attorney General Ken Paxton, who is seeking revenge for the Texas House of Representatives’ vote to impeach him on corruption and abuse of power charges. Mr. Paxton was acquitted by the Texas Senate and has stood up for Mr. Covey. Others see an opportunity to shift the legislature even further to the right.
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2024-05-29 01:38:53
www.nytimes.com
