Posts Tagged ‘Helen Kerwin’

Texas Runoff Results: Phelan Survives, Most Followers Don’t

Wednesday, May 29th, 2024

We have the results of yesterdays runoff election, and it’s a mixed bag. Sitting Texas House Speaker Dade Phelan survived Dave Covey’s challenge by less than 400 votes. Evidently a ton of gambling special interest money an encouraging Democrats to vote Republican pulled him over the line. However, almost all Phelan’s political allies pulled into a runoff went down:

  • Former Trump spokeswoman Katrina Pierson defeated incumbent Justin Holland in the Texas House District 33 runoff.
  • Challenger Alan Schoolcraft beat incumbent John Kuempel in the Texas House District 44 runoff.
  • Helen Kerwin whomped incumbent DeWayne Burns in the Texas House District 58 runoff by 15 points.
  • Challenger Keresa Richardson knocked out Frederick Frazier in the Texas House District 61 runoff with 67.6% of the vote.

  • Challenger Andy Hopper defeated incumbent Lynn Stuckey in the Texas House District 64 runoff by just shy of 4,500 votes.
  • Challenger David Lowe went into the Texas House District 91 runoff behind Stephanie Klick, but beat her by over 1,000 votes.

    • Texas Governor Greg Abbott is cheering the results a vindication for school choice.

    “While we did not win every race we fought in, the overall message from this year’s primaries is clear: Texans want school choice,” Abbott said. “Opponents can no loner ignore the will of the people.”

    The governor’s electoral crusade for school choice came to a head this week, as eleven out of the 15 Republican challengers Abbott backed this cycle defeated House incumbents in their primaries. Abbott also worked to boot seven anti-voucher Republicans off the ballot in the state’s March Republican primaries.

    Voucher bills have failed in Texas, most notably, last year, when 21 House Republicans voted against expanding school choice as part of an education-funding bill. Abbott’s push to oust school-choice dissidents was backed by major Republican donors and groups, such as Betsy DeVos’s American Federation for Children Victory Fund, which spent $4.5 million on the races altogether, Club for Growth, which poured $4 million into targeting anti-voucher runoff candidates, and Jeff Yass, an investor and mega-donor, who made about $12 million in contributions to both Abbott and the AFC Victory Fund. Abbott spent an unprecedented $8 million of his own campaign funds to support pro-voucher candidates.

    Not every incumbent went down. Incumbent Gary VanDeaver beat challenger Chris Spencer by some 1,500 votes. But backing Phelan, opposing school choice and voting to impeach Attorney General Ken Paxton has proven so toxic for incumbents used to romping to easy primary victories that it’s hard to imagine Phelan being able to get reelected as speaker.

    Brandon Herrera entered the runoff 21 points behind Tony Gonzalez for U.S. District 23. Ultimately that gap was too large to make up, but he only lost 50.7% to 49.3%. That a sitting congressman with a huge name and money advantage only managed to beat a YouTuber by one and a half points shows that Republican incumbents ignore gun rights at their peril.

    Other Republican U.S. congressional race runoff results:

  • Caroline Kane edged Kenneth Omoruyi by less than 50 votes for the Houston-based U.S. District 7. Democratic incumbent and pro-abortion favorite Lizzie Fletcher got 2/3rds of the vote in 2022, so Kane has quite an uphill slog ahead. Still, a Republican blowout like 1994 or 2010 could theoretically put it within reach.
  • Craig Goldman pulled in 62.9% against John O’Shea for Fort Worth-based U.S. District 12, which retiring Republican incumbent Kay Granger won by 64.3% in 2022. He’ll face Democratic nominee Trey Hunt in November.
  • Jay Furman beat Lazaro Garza, Jr. by just shy of 2/3rds of the vote for the right to face indicted Democratic incumbent Henry Cuellar in San Antonio to the border U.S. District 28 in November. Cuellar beat Cassy Garcia 56.7% to 43.3% in 2022, but Cuellar’s indictment and widespread dissatisfaction with Biden’s open borders policies make this a prime Republican pickup target in November.
  • In a very low turnout runoff, Alan Garza defeated Christian Garcia, 419 to 361 votes in the heavily Democratic Houston-based U.S. District 29. As Democratic incumbent Sylvia Garcia pulled in 71.4% in 2022, it would take a Democratic wipeout of Biblical proportions to make this race competitive, but you can’t win if you don’t play.
  • In Dallas-Richardson-Garland based U.S. District 32, another heavily Democratic district, Darrell Day beat David Blewett to take on Democrat Julie Johnson. Incumbent Democrat Colin Allred is taking on Ted Cruz in the Senate race.
  • Finally, in Austin-based U.S. District 35, Steven Wright edged Michael Rodriguez by 11 votes for the right to take on commie twerp Greg Casar, who garnered 72.6% in 2022.

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    Posted in Austin, Democrats, Elections, Republicans, Texas | 4 Comments »

    Trump Endorses More Texas House Candidates

    Wednesday, February 21st, 2024

    Naturally, the day after I put up my guide to Texas House Republican primary races, President Trump drops a bunch more endorsements.

    As early voting begins in the Republican primary election in Texas, former President Donald Trump has issued a series of endorsements of candidates running for the Texas Legislature.

    In a series of posts on Truth Social on Tuesday, Trump revealed the endorsements, which included four challengers to incumbent members he called “RINOs” (Republicans in Name Only).

    Those candidates include:

  • Mike Olcott, challenging State Rep. Glenn Rogers (R–Staford) in House District 60
  • Helen Kerwin, challenging State Rep. DeWayne Burns (R–Cleburne) in House District 58
  • Alan Schoolcraft, challenging State Rep. John Kuempel (R–Seguin) in House District 44
  • Liz Case, challenging State Rep. Stan Lambert (R–Abilene) in House District 61 [Note: This is typo. Case is running in District 71. — LP]

    • Trump gave his “complete and total endorsement” to each candidate, citing their opponents’ votes to impeach Attorney General Ken Paxton and opposition to school choice as reasons for doing so.

    Additionally, Trump endorsed Brent Hagenbuch for the open Senate District 30 being vacated by retiring State Sen. Drew Springer (R–Muenster).

    After I post this, I’m going to go back and add the Trump endorsements to yesterday’s roundup.

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    Posted in ObamaCare, Supreme Court, Texas, Uncategorized | 4 Comments »

    Texas State House Republican Primary Candidates

    Tuesday, February 20th, 2024

    Today marked the start of early primary voting, so here’s a roundup on Republican state house races.

    I’ve posted several times on the need to primary and defeat every one of the Dade Phelan toadies who voted to kill school choice or who voted to impeach Ken Paxton. Every candidate who voted to kill school choiceretired or draw a primary challenger.

    So here is a list of every contested Republican state House race, whether the incumbent voted to kill school choice or impeach Paxton, and who their challengers are:

  • District 1: Gary VanDeaver:

    Voted to kill school choice? Yes
    Voted to impeach Paxton? Yes

    Challengers:
    Dale Huls
    Chris Spencer

  • District 2: Jill Dutton

    Dutton is listed as the incumbent because she won the special election for the seat of the expelled and disgraced Bryan Slaton. But she wasn’t in office to vote for or against school choice or the Paxton impeachment.

    Challenger:
    Brent Money

  • District 3: Keith Bell

    Voted to kill school choice? Yes
    Voted to impeach Paxton? Yes

    Challenger:
    Joshua Feuerstein

  • District 5: Cole Hefner:

    Voted to kill school choice? No
    Voted to impeach Paxton? Yes

    Challengers:
    Dewey Collier
    Jeff Fletcher

  • District 7: Jay Dean

    Voted to kill school choice? Yes
    Voted to impeach Paxton? Yes

    Challengers:
    Bonnie Walters
    Joe McDaniel

  • District 8: Cody Harris

    Voted to kill school choice? No
    Voted to impeach Paxton? Yes

    Challenger:
    Jaye Curtis

  • District 9: Trent Ashby

    Voted to kill school choice? No
    Voted to impeach Paxton? Yes

    Challenger:
    Paulette Carson

  • District 11: Travis Clardy

    Voted to kill school choice? Yes
    Voted to impeach Paxton? Yes

    Challenger:
    Joanne Shofner

  • District 12: No incumbent (Kyle Kacal retiring)

    Challengers:
    Ben Bius
    John Slocum
    Trey Wharton

  • District 14: No incumbent (John Raney retiring)

    Challengers:
    Rick Davis
    Paul Dyson

  • District 15: Steve Toth

    Voted to kill school choice? No
    Voted to impeach Paxton? Yes

    Challenger:
    Skeeter Hubert

  • District 17: Stan Gerdes

    Voted to kill school choice? No
    Voted to impeach Paxton? Yes

    Challenger:
    Tom Glass

  • District 18: Ernest Bailes

    Voted to kill school choice? Yes
    Voted to impeach Paxton? Yes

    Janis Holt
    Stephen Missick

  • District 19: Ellen Troxclair

    Voted to kill school choice? No
    Voted to impeach Paxton? Yes

    Challengers:
    Kyle Biedermann
    Manny Campos

  • District 20: Terry Wilson

    Voted to kill school choice? No
    Voted to impeach Paxton? Yes

    Challenger:
    Elva Janine Chapa

  • District 21: Dade Phalen

    As Speaker of the House, Phalen voted Present on the school choice gutting and Paxton impeachment votes, but is known to be the motivating factor behind both.

    Challengers:
    David Covey (Endorsed by President Trump.)
    Alicia Davis

  • District 24: Greg Bonnen

    Voted to kill school choice? No
    Voted to impeach Paxton? Yes

    Challenger:
    Larissa Ramirez

  • District 26: Jacey Jetton

    Voted to kill school choice? No
    Voted to impeach Paxton? Yes

    Challengers:
    Jessica Rose Huang
    Matt Morgan

  • District 28: Gary Gates

    Voted to kill school choice? No
    Voted to impeach Paxton? Yes

    Challenger:
    Dan Matthews

  • District 29: No incumbent (Ed Thompson retiring)

    Challengers:
    Jeff Barry
    Alex Kamkar
    Edgar Pacheco Jr.
    Trent Perez

  • District 30: No incumbent (Geanie W. Morrison retiring)

    Challengers:
    Bret Baldwin
    Jeff Bauknight
    Vanessa Hicks-Callaway
    A.J. Louderback

  • District 33: Justin Holland

    Voted to kill school choice? Yes
    Voted to impeach Paxton? Yes

    Challengers:
    Dennis London
    Katrina Pierson

  • District 44: John Kuempel

    Voted to kill school choice? Yes
    Voted to impeach Paxton? Yes

    Challengers:
    Greg Switzer
    David Freimarck
    Alan Schoolcraft (Endorsed by President Trump)

  • District 53: No incumbent (Andrew S. Murr retiring)

    Challengers:
    Hatch Smith
    Wesley Virdell

  • District 55: Hugh Shine

    Voted to kill school choice? Yes
    Voted to impeach Paxton? Yes

    Challengers:
    Jorge Estrada
    Davis Ford
    Hillary Hickland

  • District 56: No incumbent (Charles “Doc” Anderson retiring)

    Challengers:
    Pat Curry
    Devvie Duke

  • District 58: DeWayne Burns

    Voted to kill school choice? Yes
    Voted to impeach Paxton? Yes

    Challengers:
    Helen Kerwin (Endorsed by President Trump)
    Lyndon Laird

  • District 60: Glenn Rogers

    Voted to kill school choice? Yes
    Voted to impeach Paxton? Yes

    Challenger:
    Mike Olcott (Endorsed by President Trump)

  • District 61: Frederick Frazier

    Voted to kill school choice? No
    Voted to impeach Paxton? Yes

    Challengers:
    Chuck Branch
    Keresa Richardson

  • District 62: Reggie Smith

    Voted to kill school choice? Yes
    Voted to impeach Paxton? Yes

    Challenger:
    Shelley Luther

  • District 63: Ben Bumgarner

    Voted to kill school choice? No
    Voted to impeach Paxton? Yes

    Challengers:
    Carlos Andino Jr. (website shows as expired)
    Vincent Gallo

  • District 64: Lynn Stucky

    Voted to kill school choice? No
    Voted to impeach Paxton? Yes

    Challengers:
    Elaine Hays
    Andy Hopper

  • District 65: Kronda Thimesch

    Voted to kill school choice? No
    Voted to impeach Paxton? Yes

    Challenger:
    Mitch Little

  • District 66: Matt Shaheen

    Voted to kill school choice? No
    Voted to impeach Paxton? Yes

    Challenger:
    Wayne Richard

  • District 67: Jeff Leach

    Voted to kill school choice? No
    Voted to impeach Paxton? Yes

    Challenger:
    Daren Meis

  • District 68: David Spiller

    Voted to kill school choice? No
    Voted to impeach Paxton? Yes

    Challenger:
    Kerri Kingsbery

  • District 70: Incumbent Democrat Mihaela Plesa

    Voted to kill school choice? Yes
    Voted to impeach Paxton? Yes

    Republican Challengers:
    Joe Collins
    Steven Kinard

  • District 71: Stan Lambert

    Voted to kill school choice? Yes
    Voted to impeach Paxton? Yes

    Challengers:
    Charles Byrn
    Liz Case (Endorsed by President Trump)

  • District 72: Drew Darby

    Voted to kill school choice? Yes
    Voted to impeach Paxton? Yes

    Challenger:
    Stormy Bradley

  • District 74: Incumbent Democrat Eddie Morales Jr.

    Voted to kill school choice? Yes
    Voted to impeach Paxton? Yes

    Republican Challengers:
    Robert Garza
    John McLeon

  • District 76: Incumbent Democrat Suleman Lalani

    Voted to kill school choice? Yes
    Voted to impeach Paxton? Yes

    Republican Challengers:
    Dayo David
    Summara Kanwal
    Lea Simmons

  • District 80: No incumbent (Democrat Tracy King retiring)

    Republican Challengers:
    Don McLaughlin
    Clint Powell
    JR Ramirez

  • District 83: Dustin Burrows

    Voted to kill school choice? No
    Voted to impeach Paxton? Yes

    Challenger:
    Wade Cowen

  • District 85: Stan Kitzman

    Voted to kill school choice? No
    Voted to impeach Paxton? Yes

    Challenger:
    Tim Greeson

  • District 86: John Smithee

    Voted to kill school choice? No
    Voted to impeach Paxton? No

    Challenger:
    Jamie Haynes

  • District 87: No incumbent (John Four Price retiring)

    Challengers:
    Richard Beyea
    Cindi Bulla
    Caroline Fairly
    Jesse Quackenbush

  • District 88: Ken King

    Voted to kill school choice? Yes
    Voted to impeach Paxton? Yes

    Challenger:
    Karen Post

  • District 89: Candy Noble

    Voted to kill school choice? No
    Voted to impeach Paxton? Yes

    Challenger:
    Abraham George

  • District 91: Stephanie Klick

    Voted to kill school choice? No
    Voted to impeach Paxton? Yes

    Challengers:
    Teresa Ramirez Gonzalez
    David Lowe

  • District 97: No incumbent (Craig Goldman retired to run for U.S. Congress)

    Challengers:
    Cheryl Bean
    John McQueeney
    Leslie Robnett

  • District 98: Giovanni Capriglione

    Voted to kill school choice? No
    Voted to impeach Paxton? Yes

    Challenger:
    Brad Schofield

  • District 99: Charlie Geren

    Voted to kill school choice? Yes
    Voted to impeach Paxton? Yes

    Challenger:
    Jack Reynolds

  • District 108: Morgan Meyer

    Voted to kill school choice? No
    Voted to impeach Paxton? Yes

    Challenger:
    Barry Wernick

  • District 112: Angie Chen Button

    Voted to kill school choice? No
    Voted to impeach Paxton? Yes

    Challenger:
    Chad Carnahan

  • District 119: Incumbent Democrat Elizabeth Campos

    Voted to kill school choice? Yes
    Voted to impeach Paxton? Yes

    Republican Challengers:
    Brandon Grable
    Dan Sawatzki

  • District 121: Steve Allison

    Voted to kill school choice? Yes
    Voted to impeach Paxton? Yes

    Challengers:
    Marc LaHood
    Michael Champion

  • District 128: Briscoe Cain

    Voted to kill school choice? No
    Voted to impeach Paxton? Yes

    Challenger:
    Bianca Gracia

  • District 133: Mano Deayala

    Voted to kill school choice? No
    Voted to impeach Paxton? Yes

    Challenger:
    John Perez

  • District 138: Lacey Hull
    Voted to kill school choice? No
    Voted to impeach Paxton? Yes

    Challenger:
    Jared Woodfill

    • Sources:

  • List of Texas state house races
  • School choice vote role call
  • Paxton impeachment vote roll call
  • Ballot information for the 2024 election.

    • I’m still missing a few candidate websites, so if you note any errors or omissions, let me know in the comments below.

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    Posted in Democrats, Regulation, Republicans, Texas, Uncategorized | 7 Comments »

    All Texas GOP Reps Voting Against School Choice Retire Or Draw Primary Opponents

    Wednesday, December 13th, 2023

    Over the last month, I’ve posted several times on the need to primary and defeat every one of the Dade Phelan toadies who voted to kill school choice. It looks like we’re off to a good start, as the close of the filing period saw every one of them retire or draw a primary challenger.

    Every Republican who opposed school choice in the Texas House now finds themselves facing a challenger in the upcoming Republican primary.

    Despite being a priority of the Republican Party of Texas and Gov. Greg Abbott, last month 21 Republicans joined Democrats in voting to remove a school choice program from a school spending proposal.

    Now each of those 21 members are either leaving the legislature or facing intraparty opposition.

    Retiring reps are:

  • Kyle Kacal
  • Andrew Murr
  • Four Price
  • John Raney
  • Ed Thompson

    • Reps who have drawn primary opponents, and the opponents they’ve drawn (plus the opponent’s campaign website, where known), are:

  • Steve Allison: Marc LaHood, Michael Champion
  • Ernest Bailes: Janis Holt, Stephen Missick
  • Keith Bell: Joshua Feuerstein
  • DeWayne Burns: Helen Kerwin, Lyndon Laird
  • Travis Clardy: Joanne Shofner
  • Drew Darby: Stormy Bradley
  • Jay Dean: Bonnie Walters, Joe McDaniel
  • Charlie Geren: Jack Reynolds
  • Justin Holland: Dennis London, Katrina Pierson
  • Ken King: Karen Post
  • John Kuempel: Greg Switzer, David Freimarck, Alan Schoolcraft
  • Stan Lambert: Charles Byrn, Liz Case
  • Glenn Rogers: Mike Olcott
  • Hugh Shine: Hillary Hickland, David Ford
  • Reggie Smith: Shelley Luther
  • Gary VanDeaver: Dale Huls, Chris Spencer

    • If you’re a Texas conservative in a position to donate to campaigns (a tough ask for some here in the Biden Recession), now would be a good time to check out these candidates and help defeat some of Dade’s toadies.

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    Posted in Regulation, Republicans, Texas | 4 Comments »