‘Battle lines are drawn’: How Ken Paxton, Greg Abbott succeeded in ousting GOP incumbents

Texas’ primary elections tested the political power of both Gov. Greg Abbott and Attorney General Ken Paxton, and it appears that Abbott’s endorsement held more sway with Republican primary voters.

Abbott endorsed candidates who supported his plan for voucher-like education savings accounts, while Paxton is looking to unseat every Republican who voted to impeach him over accusations Paxton abused his office to help real estate investor Nate Paul.

Paxton endorsed 34 challengers to Republican incumbents, while Abbott has endorsed 10.

Other Texas Republicans made noise, but this GOP primary was all about Greg Abbott | Opinion

Abbott racked up five wins including in rural districts like House District 11, where 10-year incumbent Travis Clardy of Nacogdoches County received only 37.04% of the vote compared with 62.94% for Abbott-backed challenger Joanne Shofner.

Abbott’s candidates won outright in House districts 18, 55, 60 and 121. In District 60, Abbott switched to endorse challenger Mike Olcott after endorsing incumbent Glenn Rogers in 2022.

At a campaign stop in Mineral Wells, Abbott called his previous endorsement of Rogers a mistake, citing disagreements over the governor’s school voucher plan.

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Three Abbott-backed challengers in House districts 1, 44 and 58 managed to force incumbents into a runoff, with two of them getting the most votes in Tuesday’s primary.

Abbott’s ability to unseat five or six incumbents will strengthen his hand when he goes to pass his school choice voucher bills in the 2025 legislative session, said Rice University political science professor Mark Jones.

Legislators holding out on Abbott’s plan will be faced with a choice to either negotiate and get some protections for their local school districts, or have the bill pass without their input, he said.

“Texans are one step closer to empowering every Texas family,” Abbott said in a statement Tuesday celebrating his chosen candidates’ victories. “Republican primary voters have once again sent an unmistakable message that parents deserve the freedom to choose the best education pathway for their child.”

Paxton was able to unseat seven incumbents; four were in races where Abbott also backed the challenger. Of the 34 incumbents challenged by Paxton in Tuesday’s primary, 19 were able to move onto the general election without a runoff.

Jones noted Paxton’s involvement may have already had an intended effect by making these races more difficult for the incumbents than they would have been otherwise.

It’s Paxton’s way of signaling that there will be consequences for crossing him, Jones said.

While Abbott had a higher percentage of successes, Paxton secured important wins in key House and judicial races, said Cal Jillson, an American politics professor at Southern Methodist University.

Paxton-backed candidates unseated two longtime judges on the criminal court of appeals and forced a third into a runoff. Paxton targeted Judges Sharon Keller, Barbara Hervey and Michelle Slaughter after the trio joined five other judges in preventing Paxton from prosecuting election fraud cases without the permission of a local prosecutor.

“Paxton is like a second baseman who’s only batting 0.200,” Jillson said. “He may not get a lot of hits, but when he does connect it makes an impact.”

Paxton also helped force his nemesis, Texas House Speaker Dade Phelan, into a runoff against challenger David Covey in the House District 21 primary. Phelan has been a target for the most conservative wing of the Republican Party for his backing of Paxton’s impeachment.

In a statement, Phelan called the runoff a battle for the soul of his district.

“While my opponent hides behind empty rhetoric, dishonest advertising and surrogate voices, I stand before voters with a clear record of service and conservative success for Southeast Texas,” Phelan said.

Paxton framed the District 21 runoff as a rallying cry for conservatives to stand firm against what he referred to as a liberal agenda represented by Phelan.

“The battle lines are drawn, and our resolve has never been stronger,” Paxton said in a post on X.

The runoff election will be May 28.