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Attorney General Ken Paxton, after being acquitted by the Texas Senate, has taken a new approach in seeking political retribution by endorsing a group of primary challengers against state House Republicans who had voted for his impeachment.
Paxton endorsed seven challengers, including those running against House Speaker Dade Phelan, R-Beaumont, and Rep. Andrew Murr, R-Junction, who is the chair of the House impeachment managers. Paxton’s campaign labeled this as the first set of endorsements and assured that further information about a “statewide Fall tour” would be revealed soon, which would involve campaign events alongside the endorsed candidates.
“In an official statement, Paxton declared that the liberal RINO Republicans have unjustly taken over the Texas State House for an extended period, and it is time to put an end to it. By endorsing specific candidates, I aim to initiate the process of reinstating a conservative majority within our state House,” announced Paxton.
Phelan’s campaign responded by asserting that the people he represents will not be influenced by wealthy individuals from West Texas and their group of non-local political figures.
Over the years, Tim Dunn and Dan and Farris Wilks, prominent oilmen from West Texas, have consistently supported House primary challengers through their generous donations. Additionally, they have recently provided financial backing to initiatives aimed at opposing Paxton’s impeachment.
Three weeks following Paxton’s acquittal in his impeachment trial, the endorsements further intensified the ongoing conflict within Texas Republicans. Back in May, the House had voted overwhelmingly to impeach Paxton, alleging that he had misused his position to assist his associate and benefactor, Nate Paul.
A total of 60 out of 85 House Republicans opted to impeach the individual, while two Republican Senators voted in favor of their removal.
After being acquitted, Paxton wasted no time in expressing his intent to actively campaign against the House Republicans who had backed his impeachment.
On Friday, Paxton announced his endorsement of seven candidates. These include David Covey, who is running against Phelan; Wes Virdell, who is challenging Murr; Andy Hopper, who is challenging Rep. Lynn Stucky of Denton; Mike Olcott, who is running against Rep. Glenn Rogers of Graford; John Perez, who is challenging Rep. Mano DeAyala of Houston; and Matt Morgan, who is running against Rep. Jacey Jetton of Richmond.
In addition, Paxton supported Brent Money as one of the six contenders in the November special election held to fill the vacant seat left by the expulsion of former Representative Bryan Slaton, who hailed from Royse City.
The intensity of the conflict between Paxton and Phelan is particularly high. Despite Paxton’s repeated calls for Phelan’s resignation, the latter remains resolute in stating that he will not step down.
In a statement, Cait Wittman, spokesperson for the Phelan campaign, emphasized that while his opponents engage in a political revenge tour, Dade Phelan maintains his focus on pressing matters. These include addressing the aftermath of the Biden Administration’s problematic border policies during the upcoming special session and working towards expanding the House Republican majority in 2024.
