An open seat in Bexar County, House District 122 is currently held by liberal Republican State Rep. Lyle Larson of San Antonio, who declined to run for re-election this year after six terms in office.
Former San Antonio City Councilwoman Elisa Chan will face State Republican Executive Committeeman Mark Dorazio in the May 24 Republican primary runoff election.
Elisa Chan
A former San Antonio city councilwoman, Chan served for four years before resigning to run against State. Sen. Donna Campbell (R–New Braunfels) to represent Senate District 25. Chan is also a co-founder of Unintech, an engineering design and consulting firm.
Based on the most recent campaign finance reports, Chan has loaned her campaign well over a million dollars throughout the campaign. She has raised more than $160,000 from various business professionals and political action committees from around the state, and she currently has less than $100,000 cash on hand.
Her biggest donors are the Associated Republicans of Texas, who have spent around $25,000 on her campaign, and House Speaker Dade Phelan, who has also spent around $25,000 on advertising for Chan. Establishment-aligned Texans for Lawsuit Reform donated $20,000 to Chan, and Texans for Responsible Government—funded by Abbott mega-donor Michael Porter—has donated $10,000. The Texas Association of Realtors ($2,500), Texas Medical Association ($7,500), and outgoing State Rep. Larson ($1,000) have also donated to Chan.
Chan has received the endorsements of House Speaker Dade Phelan, establishment-aligned Texas Alliance for Life, the Associated Republicans of Texas, Texans for Lawsuit Reform, the Texas Medical Association, as well as various law enforcement and firefighting unions.
Mark Dorazio
A businessman and member of the State Republican Executive Committee, Dorazio has been active in the Republican Party for more than 30 years and has previously held the positions of precinct chair, state delegate, and Bexar County Republican Party chairman.
According to data from the Texas Ethics Commission, Dorazio is largely self-funding his campaign, having loaned his campaign $500,000 during this runoff election. Dorazio has also raised more than $100,000 and currently has less than $60,000 cash on hand. His largest donor is State Rep. Mayes Middleton (R–Wallisville) at $10,800, followed by the Defend Texas Liberty PAC, which has given $8,500. Otherwise, Dorazio’s campaign has been mostly grassroots-funded by San Antonio-area businessmen.
Dorazio has received the endorsements of U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz (R-TX), Texas Right to Life, Gun Owners of America – Texas, Texas Values Action, the Texas Home School Coalition, and grassroots organizations such as the Texas Eagle Forum and Grassroots America – We The People.
The Issues
For the past several weeks, Texas Scorecard has been asking all Republican legislative runoff candidates questions on issues important to voters as they head to the polls.
On the issue of Democrat committee chairmanships in the Texas House, Dorazio confirmed he is strongly against the practice, whereas Chan declined to respond to Texas Scorecard’s inquiry.
Dorazio agreed that biology should determine which sports league a person can play in and the protections for girls’ sports should be extended to women’s collegiate athletics. Chan did not comment on the issue.
Neither candidate responded to Texas Scorecard’s inquiry on the state’s ever-increasing property taxes. However, Dorazio lists it as an issue on his website, addressing out-of-control appraisals and stating, “Our local government’s addiction to property taxes must be addressed. We must move away from this nefarious tax.” Chan does not mention property taxes on her list of issues.
Dorazio said he would support legislation to protect parental rights in education by prohibiting the teaching of dangerous gender and sexual ideologies in kindergarten through third-grade classrooms. Chan did not comment on the matter.
Dorazio supports closing the loopholes in Texas obscenity laws to protect children from pornographic materials in their school libraries. Chan did not respond.
Regarding the southern border invasion, which has left Texas fending for itself in the absence of federal assistance, neither Dorazio nor Chan responded to Texas Scorecard’s inquiry. Dorazio lists the border as a critical issue in his campaign and says, “Texas must secure the border itself. I am prepared to use every resource and power available to protect the citizens of this great state.” Chan’s campaign website says she is a “strong opponent for the Biden open border policy.”
Neither candidate responded to Texas Scorecard’s inquiry on ending corporate welfare (tax breaks and taxpayer-funded subsidies for large corporations).
Both candidates also failed to respond to Texas Scorecard’s inquiry on vaccine mandates. However, Dorazio has signed the Texans for Vaccine Choice Pledge to prohibit vaccine mandates, while Chan does not mention vaccine mandates on her list of issues.
On the issue of abortion, neither candidate responded to Texas Scorecard’s inquiry about possible actions if the U.S. Supreme Court does not overturn Roe v. Wade. However, on his campaign website, Dorazio states, “I am unwavering and noncompromising in my belief that life begins at conception and ends at natural death. I fully support Texas’ recent Heartbeat Bill and will continue to support legislation that seeks to end abortion altogether.” Chan’s website simply states, “Her long-awaited and difficult late-in-life pregnancy helped shape her opinions on the value and sanctity of human life.”
Election Day
The winner of the Republican primary runoff will face Democrat Angi Aramburu and Libertarian Stephanie Berlin in November. Election Day for the runoff is Tuesday, May 24. Early voting is ongoing through May 20.
