In one of the ugliest and most contentious Republican primaries in Texas history, an array of insurgent challengers—sent forth into battle by Governor Greg Abbott, his school voucher allies, and a vengeful attorney general with his radical right-wing base—got what they wanted: change, turmoil, and unease.
Come the 2025 legislative session, the Republican-controlled state House is likely to be a much different entity. While many GOP incumbents prevailed in the face of well-funded challengers, others did not. By the end of the night, nine incumbent GOP state representatives had lost their races outright—and eight more were forced into runoffs.
That includes the embattled Republican House Speaker Dade Phelan of Beaumont, who was forced into a runoff after narrowly trailing his main primary rival in his southeast Texas district.
