{"id":2254286,"date":"2024-05-28T13:51:02","date_gmt":"2024-05-28T17:51:02","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/four-things-to-watch-in-texas-runoff-primary-elections\/"},"modified":"2024-05-28T13:57:11","modified_gmt":"2024-05-28T17:57:11","slug":"four-things-to-watch-in-texas-runoff-primary-elections","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/four-things-to-watch-in-texas-runoff-primary-elections\/","title":{"rendered":"Key Points to Monitor in Texas Runoff Primaries"},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"&quot;\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">16<\/div><span class=\"mashsb-sharetext\">SHARES<\/span><\/div><div class=\"mashsb-buttons\"><a class=\"mashicon-facebook mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservativenewsdaily.net%2Fbreaking-news%2Ffour-things-to-watch-in-texas-runoff-primary-elections%2F\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Facebook<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-twitter mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=&amp;url=https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=2254286&amp;via=ConservNewsDly\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Twitter<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-subscribe mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"#\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Subscribe<\/span><\/a><div class=\"onoffswitch2 mash-medium mashsb-noshadow\" style=\"display:none\"><\/div><\/div>\n            <\/div>\n                <div style=\"clear:both\"><\/div><\/aside>\n            <!-- Share buttons by mashshare.net - Version: 4.0.47--><p>In Texas, voters are set for crucial decisions in runoff elections following unresolved primary races\u2062 from earlier this year. Key contests needing settlement, some amid national attention,\u200c include Rep. Tony Gonzales&#8217; battle \u200dfor reelection and the Cuellar family&#8217;s political legacy on the line. Local lawmakers also face challenges amidst clashes with Gov. Abbott and AG Paxton. \u200cIn Texas, \u200bvoters are gearing up for \u200cpivotal decisions in runoff elections \u2063after lingering primary races from earlier this year. Significant contests\u2063 in the spotlight involve Rep. Tony Gonzales&#8217; re-election fight and the Cuellar family&#8217;s political standing. Additionally, local legislators are encountering hurdles amid\u200b confrontations with Governor Abbott and Attorney\u2063 General Paxton.  <\/p>\n<p class=\"readmore\">\n    <button onclick=\"showReadMore()\" id=\"readmorebtn\">Read more&#8230;<\/button>\n<\/p>\n<hr id=\"line\">\n<span id=\"more\"><\/p>\n<div>\n<p>All eyes are on <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/texas\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"Texas\">Texas<\/a> as voters head to the polls on Tuesday to determine a number of <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/progressive-pac-urges-lib-donors-to-sign-thank-you-card-for-scandal-plagued-lincoln-project\/\" title=\"\u2018Progressive\u2019 PAC Urges Lib Donors to Sign Thank-You Card for Scandal-Plagued Lincoln Project\">key races<\/a> that were left unsettled during the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/campaigns\/state\/3013358\/texas-gov-abbot-campaigning-against-once-allied-republicans-in-an-effort-to-embrace-school-vouchers\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title>state\u2019s primary elections<\/a> earlier this year. <\/p>\n<p>Texas held its primary <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/campaigns\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"elections\">elections<\/a> on March 5, which left a number of key races undecided due to state laws that require candidates to receive more than 50% of the vote or else the top two contenders are forced into a runoff to settle the race. <\/p>\n<p>Most districts in the Lone Star State are considered uncompetitive, meaning <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/2905964\/republicans-who-blocked-school-texas-legislature\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title>primary races often determine<\/a> which candidate will go on to win the seat in November \u2014 raising the stakes for a handful of runoff races. <\/p>\n<p>Here are four things to watch as voters once again head to the polls on Tuesday: <\/p>\n<p><strong>Rep. Tony Gonzales fights for reelection survival <\/strong><\/p>\n<p>One of the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/campaigns\/3016956\/tony-gonzales-plots-revenge-texas-special-election\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title>most closely watched primary elections<\/a> of the entire 2024 cycle is in the Texas district held by Rep. Tony Gonzales (R-TX), who is being challenged over his voting record to protect same-sex marriage and to <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/tony-gonzales-plots-revenge-tour-for-gop-colleagues-backing-primary-challenger\/\" title=\"Tony Gonzales plans retaliation for GOP peers supporting his primary opponent\">implement stricter gun safety measures<\/a>. <\/p>\n<p>Gonzales faces a tough challenge from Brandon Herrera, a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/disney-faces-massive-backlash-for-firing-gina-carano-as-cancel-disney-plus-trends-1-critics-bring-up-companys-history\/\" title=\"Disney Faces Massive Backlash For Firing Gina Carano As \u2018Cancel Disney Plus\u2019 Trends #1, Critics Bring Up Company\u2019s History\">gun rights activist<\/a> and hard-right YouTuber, who is challenging the incumbent after he broke with party lines in 2022 to vote in favor of a bill that would strengthen gun safety laws. The runoff election has <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/cnns-jim-acosta-admits-to-media-bias-against-the-president\/\" title=\"CNN\u2019S Jim Acosta admits to media bias against the President\">attracted national attention<\/a> as many of Gonzales\u2019s colleagues in the House have endorsed his challenger, a move the Texas Republican said won\u2019t go unnoticed. <\/p>\n<p>But Gonzales says he is unconcerned with the challenge, pointing to the state\u2019s primary when the incumbent received 45% of the vote compared to Herrera\u2019s 25%. <\/p>\n<p>\u201cI\u2019m going to dust this guy, no doubt in my mind,\u201d Gonzales said to the <em>Washington Examiner<\/em> in an interview. \u201cAnd honestly, I\u2019ve gotten a whole lot stronger for it, too. So I don\u2019t worry about what some of my colleagues up here are doing or not doing.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>But a win for Gonzales may not bring an end to the intraparty dissension that has resulted from his Republican colleagues backing Herrera\u2019s campaign. In fact, Gonzales has hinted at possible retribution for those lawmakers, which includes names such as Reps. Matt Gaetz (R-FL) and Bob Good (R-VA). <\/p>\n<p>\u201cHere\u2019s the deal: If somebody backs your opponent and goes to your district and does events [and] are giving your opponent money \u2014 they are trying to kill you politically. And you better believe them,\u201d Gonzales said. \u201cSo your only option is to kill them politically. So I think there\u2019s focus on Tuesday, and then we\u2019re going to do a little purging of ourselves \u2014 of our own.\u201d <\/p>\n<p><strong>Cuellar family legacy on the ballot<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Aside from the national attention being garnered by <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/henry-cuellar\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"Rep. Henry Cuellar\">Rep. Henry Cuellar<\/a> (D-TX) and his 28-count federal indictment possibly threatening his reelection, the fate of the Cuellar family will also be on the line elsewhere on the ballot. <\/p>\n<p>Both Cuellar\u2019s brother and sister will be on the ballot competing in runoff challenges, with Rosie Cuellar competing in the Democratic runoff for state House District 80, which includes the city of Uvalde, Texas, and Martin Cuellar eyeing to be elected as Webb County\u2019s sheriff. <\/p>\n<p>Rosie Cuellar will face off against Cecilia Castellano, a former municipal judge in Laredo, Texas. Castellano narrowly defeated Cuellar during the March primary, when the two were separated by just 20 votes. However, that was before the Justice Department announced its indictment against Henry Cuellar, which could negatively affect Rosie Cuellar\u2019s political chances. <\/p>\n<p>The winner of the primary will go on to face Republican former Uvalde Mayor Don McLaughlin in November.<\/p>\n<p>Meanwhile, Martin Cuellar will face off against his former employee Wayo Ruiz for the sheriff\u2019s seat. He could face similar struggles like his sister as both have benefitted financially from Henry Cuellar, who has donated to each of their campaigns. Since then, both siblings have <a href=\"https:\/\/www.notus.org\/texas\/cuellar-family-webb-county\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title>faced their own allegations of misconduct<\/a>, which Henry Cuellar has denounced as being politically motivated. <\/p>\n<p>\u201cMy brother Martin and my sister Rosie have served the Laredo community with honor and dignity,\u201d the congressman said. \u201cSouth Texas voters know my family\u2019s record and will see this for what it is \u2014 a partisan political hit job.\u201d<\/p>\n<p><strong>Local lawmakers face wrath of Gov. Abbott and Attorney General Paxton<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Further down the ballot, a slate of local lawmakers are facing tough reelection challenges after attracting the ire of both Gov. Greg Abbott (R-TX) and state Attorney General Ken Paxton, prompting the two state officials to embark on a revenge tour against a group of vulnerable Republicans who have challenged their agendas over the last year. <\/p>\n<p>For his part, Abbott is targeting a group of Republican lawmakers who voted against his signature school voucher program, which would allow the state to give money to families to pay for private schooling. However, the voucher program failed to pass the Texas House due to opposition from Democrats and some rural Republicans. <\/p>\n<p>Meanwhile, Paxton is looking to oust a number of lawmakers who voted to impeach him last year. <\/p>\n<p>The pair targeted a slate of 16 GOP lawmakers by pouring money into their challengers\u2019 campaigns and appearing alongside their opponents on the campaign trail. The effort was successful by defeating nine of the incumbents in March, with the remaining eight locked in runoff elections Tuesday.<\/p>\n<p><strong>House speaker\u2019s race sets tone for future of Texas GOP <\/strong><\/p>\n<p>One of the most closely watched runoffs stemming from Abbott\u2019s and Paxton\u2019s revenge tour is the seat held by Texas House Speaker Dade Phelan, who oversaw the impeachment trial of the attorney general. <\/p>\n<p>Phelan will face former Orange County Republican Party Chairman David Covey, who defeated the speaker during the primary election before the two advanced to a runoff. However, the race could have larger implications for the future of the state\u2019s Republican Party, as a win for Phelan would be a victory for the establishment GOP while Covey could be the catalyst to usher in a new conservative movement to the state. <\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title><strong>CLICK HERE TO READ MORE FROM THE WASHINGTON EXAMINER<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n<p>Phelan has the support of former state House speakers Dennis Bonnen and Joe Straus, as well as former Gov. Rick Perry. However, Covey has managed to secure the endorsements of Paxton, former President Donald Trump, and Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick, among other high-profile conservatives. <\/p>\n<div>\n<p>A sitting House speaker has not lost a Texas primary since 1972.<\/p>\n<p>The race has also shaped up to be one of the most expensive runoffs, with both candidates <a href=\"https:\/\/abc13.com\/post\/texas-elections-2024-republican-democratic-races-watch-voters\/14882109\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title>spending a combined $5.4 million<\/a>. That figure excludes money spent by outside groups.<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n<p><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Texas voters are closely watched as they head to the polls on Tuesday to decide key races left unresolved from the primary elections in March. Several vital races were left undecided due to state laws mandating runoffs for candidates who did not secure a majority vote<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2640,"featured_media":2254287,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/05\/AP24144662436554-1024x683.jpg","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-2254286","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry"],"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/05\/AP24144662436554-1024x683.jpg","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2254286","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2640"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2254286"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2254286\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2254287"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2254286"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2254286"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2254286"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}