In Texas House District 19, the Republican primary runoff election between Austin policeman Justin Berry and former Austin City Councilwoman Ellen Troxclair is heating up as tweets from Berry promoting amnesty have surfaced.
“I implore our leaders to work with those who, though illegally here, but have shown no other criminal actions a reasonable way to earn lawful citizenship,” wrote Berry.
Troxclair has called Berry’s tweets “troubling.”
“Our state and country are under attack, and border security is one of the most urgent issues we are facing,” Troxclair told Texas Scorecard.
We cannot afford to elect a pro-amnesty “Republican” to the Texas House of Representatives. Texas needs proven conservatives who take the border crisis seriously and fight to fund border security, eliminate the government handouts that encourage illegal immigration, and finish the wall now!
Notably, Troxclair was endorsed by pro-amnesty organization Americans for Prosperity. She told Texas Scorecard previously that she would reject the endorsement of Americans for Prosperity after confirming their stance on amnesty. As of publication, Troxclair has not confirmed whether she ultimately rejected the group’s support.
Berry was recently endorsed by Gov. Greg Abbott as well as the American Federation of Teachers, which upset school choice advocates last week.
Union endorsements play a key role in this race. Berry accepted the endorsements of multiple law enforcement unions and criticized Troxclair for her disdainful response to teachers unions. He attempted to conflate teachers unions with law enforcement unions despite Troxclair’s cited comment lacking any mention of law enforcement.
Troxclair and Berry, neither of whom originally announced for HD 19, have been firing shots since they both changed course and entered the race to represent the Central Texas district.
The runoff election is slated for May 24.
Justin Berry did not respond to Texas Scorecard’s request for comment before publication.