Every Republican who opposed school choice in the Texas House now finds themselves facing a challenger in the upcoming Republican primary.
Despite being a priority of the Republican Party of Texas and Gov. Greg Abbott, last month 21 Republicans joined Democrats in voting to remove a school choice program from a school spending proposal.
Now each of those 21 members are either leaving the legislature or facing intraparty opposition.
| Member | Re-Election? | Opponent(s) |
|---|---|---|
| Steve Allison | Yes | Marc LaHood, Michael Champion |
| Ernest Bailes | Yes | Janis Holt, Stephen Missick |
| Keith Bell | Yes | Joshua Feuerstein |
| DeWayne Burns | Yes | Helen Kerwin, Lyndon Laird |
| Travis Clardy | Yes | Joanne Shofner |
| Drew Darby | Yes | Stormy Bradley |
| Jay Dean | Yes | Bonnie Walters, Joe McDaniel |
| Charlie Geren | Yes | Jack Reynolds |
| Justin Holland | Yes | Dennis London, Katrina Pierson |
| Kyle Kacal | No | |
| Ken King | Yes | Karen Post |
| John Kuempel | Yes | Greg Switzer, David Freimarck, Alan Schoolcraft |
| Stan Lambert | Yes | Charles Byrn, Liz Case |
| Andrew Murr | No | |
| Four Price | No | |
| John Raney | No | |
| Glenn Rogers | Yes | Mike Olcott |
| Hugh Shine | Yes | Hillary Hickland, David Ford |
| Reggie Smith | Yes | Shelley Luther |
| Ed Thompson | No | |
| Gary VanDeaver | Yes | Dale Huls, Chris Spencer |
Abbott, meanwhile, has begun to endorse challengers to these incumbents, with U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz saying he will also be working to unseat those Republican members.
The Republican primary election will take place on March 5, 2024.
