Republican Texas House Speaker Headed To Runoff As AG Ken Paxton Takes Revenge

AUSTIN, Texas (AP) — Republican Texas House Speaker Dade Phelan headed to a primary runoff against challenger David Covey, bruising one of the state’s most powerful figures and emboldening state Attorney General Ken Paxton in his revenge campaign to oust GOP incumbent lawmakers who sought his impeachment.

Phelan advanced to a May 28 contest with Covey, an oil and gas consultant and party activist endorsed by Paxton and former President Donald Trump. Neither candidate could win a majority for outright victory in Tuesday’s race that included retired hairdresser Alicia Davis.

“Let this runoff be a rallying cry for all conservatives across Texas,” Paxton said. “The battle lines are drawn, and our resolve has never been stronger.”

Paxton was acquitted of corruption and abuse of office allegations in a historic Texas Senate trial in 2023. But he blamed Phelan for leading that effort and mounted a political revenge campaign to oust the House leader and others who supported the unsuccessful attempt to drive him from office.

Paxton’s campaign to defeat rivals in his own party was a test of his own clout and that of his biggest backer, Trump. Paxton, who won a third term in 2022, was not on the Super Tuesday ballot. Yet his attempt to overthrow the House leadership was being widely watched as an attempt to push an already conservative chamber further to the right.

Paxton’s overall success is yet to be determined. Paxton-endorsed challengers in more than 30 House races and his candidates had ousted at least five House members and forced at least five more into runoffs. Yet several of Phelan’s House leadership team fended off challenges.

The runoff, nonetheless, struck is a heavy blow to Phelan, who through two terms led the