Outsider vs. establishment politics on display in N. Texas with US House primary results

A candidate with the support of Donald Trump and another backed by Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton — outsiders in their respective congressional races — are advancing to the next round of voting, following Tuesday’s election.

For the first time in years, North Texas voters had a slate of all new candidates in U.S. House seats long-held by Republican Reps. Kay Granger and Michael Burgess.

Both drew a crowded field of contenders, and after the votes were tallied Tuesday night, one race is headed into a runoff, while the other is advancing straight to the November election after a single candidate got more than half the votes.

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In Burgess’ North Texas district, conservative media figure Brandon Gill, with Trump in his corner, defeated candidates with experience as elected officials, Southlake Mayor John Huffman and former Denton County Judge Scott Armey, who’s father Dick Army previously represented the district.

In Granger’s, state Rep. Craig Goldman got the most votes, but not enough to avoid a runoff with John O’Shea, a self-described “outsider.”

The races are part of a bigger picture statewide, said Jim Riddlesperger, a TCU political science professor.

“The Republican electorate in this primary was very conservative, and it has been hard for even, what I would call mainstream conservatives, to catch a wave,” he said.

The populist movement in Texas and across the country means that for many motivated voters, experience in government is part of the problem, Riddlesperger said.

“So, having people who are outsiders is seen as a positive, rather than a negative, even though in any other job you could mention, you want people to have experience in that job,” he said.

No matter who wins in November, residents of two North Texas congressional districts will be losing decades of political experience in the exits of Granger and Burgess.

“This is going to be a time.... for North Texas, at least in those two districts, to hit the reset button, and it’s going to be interesting to see how that plays out in the next Congress,” Riddlesperger said.

Brandon Gill avoids runoff with Trump’s support

Gill won 58.38% percent of votes in his district, according to unofficial results from the Texas Secretary of State’s office — avoiding a runoff despite being part of a race with 11 Republican primary candidates.

Gill had the support of former President Donald Trump and U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz as he campaigned for the seat, that is primarily made up of Cooke, Denton and Wise counties.

Gill has proudly touted his Trump endorsement, which is pinned prominently on his X profile: “He is the clear ‘America First’ candidate, and is as loyal and tough as they come. He’s a Cowboy, Businessman, Husband and Father, but also a True Patriot,” the endorsement reads.

“Conservatives of North Texas demand change in Washington,” Gill said in a statement. “They want a secure border, an end to out of control spending, and our America First values represented. I want to thank them for entrusting me with their vote. This campaign wasn’t about me, it was about the people of our great district who want to send a true conservative to Congress that will fight alongside President Trump.”

Gill’s father-in-law is Dinesh D’Souza also well-known in Conservative circles. Gill was involved with making ‘2000 Mules’ with D’Souza, a film that purports widespread voter fraud in the 2020 election. An Reuters fact check found that the film “does not provide any concrete, verifiable evidence of widespread voter fraud in the 2020 election.” The Associated Press found “gaping holes” in another fact check.

Ernest Linberger III, an analyst and engineer, is the only candidate running in the Democratic primary.

While Trump might not win every race where he backs a candidate, the Republican Party is his party — and his endorsement is “golden,” Riddlesperger said.

Goldman and O’Shea head to runoff

Goldman and O’Shea are headed into a runoff, with Goldman earning the majority of votes — 44.35% — but not enough to avoid a May 28 head-to-head match-up against O’Shea, who earned 26.39% of votes.

O’Shea, in an interview with the Star-Telegram late Tuesday, cast himself as the “outsider America-first candidate” going up against a member of the “establishment down in Austin.” He touted his endorsement of Paxton, while hitting Goldman for voting in favor of the attorney general’s impeachment.

“I think I like the odds of that race, head-to-head,” O’Shea said, later noting that he hopes to appeal to supporters of the three other Republican candidates in the primary.

Goldman, in an election night speech and in an interview with the Star-Telegram, highlighted his political experience.

In the interview, Goldman said he is the only runoff candidate with a “proven conservative voting record, versus someone that has no record.” Goldman is endorsed by Gov. Greg Abbott, Lt. Gov, Dan Patrick, former Gov. Rick Perry, Fort Worth Mayor Mattie Parker and several Tarrant County lawmakers.

An outsider is an unknown entity, Goldman said.

“You don’t know what you’re getting, and we’re at a time in America to where we need a proven conservative fighter going up ... to help run Washington D.C. the way we do in Texas,” he said, contrasting the federal budget deficit with the state’s surplus, and highlighting the state legislature’s border security efforts.

Democrat Trey Hunt won 58.08% of votes in the Democratic primary.

Hunt, in a Wednesday interview, said he plans to meet with his primary opponent, Sebastian Gehrig, to incorporate things that are important to Gehrig’s voters into his platform. His strategy will depend on who advances on the Republican side, he said.

“I think John is an outsider, and he’s obviously more far right on the spectrum, so I can definitely appeal more to centrists that way,” Hunt said, going on to call Goldman an “establishment politician.”

“People are very much over that, and I think it’s good to draw some parallels between, ‘Do we want another establishment politician, or do we want someone that’s of the people, by the people?’”