Phelan’s primary has emerged as a last stand for the Republican Party’s business-minded establishment against an insurgency primarily motivated by social and cultural issues.
Dade Phelan addresses the floor after being elected for his second term as House speaker on on Jan 10, 2023.to The Texas Tribune will help investigative journalism that impacts state policies and politics. It is the last week of our Spring Member Drive, and our newsroom relies on readers like you who support independent Texas news.
“If you have 100 issues, and you agree with them 99 times, you’re their enemy,” said Alan Hassenflu, a Houston real estate magnate who was on the host committee for Phelan’s April fundraiser. David Covey talks on the phone in Beaumont on Jan. 26, 2024. Covey is running against House Speaker Dade Phelan in the Republican primary.ouster of Phelan, R-Beaumont, would give Dunn’s cohort its best chance yet to elect a speaker who is aligned with Patrick and the Senate, likely clearing the way for unfinished priorities like
Toth, one of Phelan’s most outspoken critics in the House, has endorsed Covey and joined with a group of lawmakers and candidates who want toThe fourth-term Republican blamed the intra-party tension on “an element of our party working against social conservatives,” singling out one of the most prolific pro-Phelan groups this cycle,
One member of the Dallas fundraiser’s host committee was Jeanne Tower Cox, daughter of former U.S. Sen. John Tower. Tower, the first Republican Texan elected to the Senate since Reconstruction, helped launch Associated Republicans of Texas in 1974 when the party held fewerPhelan’s backers also include Robert Rowling, the billionaire owner of Omni hotels; energy titan Ray Hunt and beverage distribution magnate John Nauwho serves as co-chair of ART’s board. Each is also among Gov.
Perry, a former Trump cabinet member, has leaned into the criticism, joking at a Phelan rally that the derisive term “RINO” is “.” He has also defended Phelan’s willingness to work with Democrats, noting that he often did so himself on the vast range of issues that transcend partisan politics. “TLRPAC’s primary consideration is whether a candidate is philosophically aligned on civil justice issues, but we also seek to support men and women of integrity who we expect will be constructive members of the Legislature,” Nashed said in an email.
The speaker’s political foes have pointed to a handful of other conservative priorities that did not make it through the House, includingfor allowing Democrats to sink a bill that would have created a “Border Protection Unit,” staffed by deputized everyday residents and licensed peace officers, with authority to “deter and repel” migrants between ports of entry.
The resurgence of the party’s rightmost faction comes after Dunn and his cohort spent the last several years struggling to make a dent in the primaries — including in 2022, when candidates supported by Dunn’s network lost every head-to-head matchup against Phelan-backed incumbents.Tim Dunn, CEO of CrownQuest Operating and chairman of Empower Texans, speaks during The Texas Tribune Festival on Sept. 24, 2016.
“House Democrats will show up and work hard every day,” Martinez Fischer said. “You show us what the rules are and we’ll find a way to elevate the discussion — that’s just who we are.”
Politics State Government Republican Party Of Texas Republicans Dennis Bonnen Joe Straus Kay Bailey Hutchison Dade Phelan Tim Dunn Texas Legislature
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