Amy Fennell, a Republican candidate who had been challenging State Rep. Mike Olcott in the GOP primary for Texas House District 60, has withdrawn from the race after previously posting a series of social media comments sharply critical of President Donald Trump and the Republican Party.
Fennell’s withdrawal follows months of public posts opposing Trump’s return to the White House, promoting messaging from former Vice President Kamala Harris, and attacking Republican leadership and party priorities.
In one post, she referred to Trump as a “treasonous felon.” In others, she urged that he be kept out of the White House and framed Harris’ campaign as an effort to “bring America back together.”
Just one day after the attempted assassination of Trump at a campaign rally in Butler, Pennsylvania, Fennell shared a screenshot of a Trump fundraising text and described it as “some next level cult shit.” In subsequent posts, she continued criticizing Trump and mocking reports of additional security incidents, writing that he should “suck it up.”
Fennell also dismissed Republican concerns about gun control, writing in one post, “Nobody’s coming for your effing guns,” and defended taxpayer-funded lobbying for cities and school districts. She repeatedly criticized the Republican Party of Texas’ censure process, calling it meaningless, and attacked Gov. Greg Abbott, Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick, and House leadership over education policy.
In a statement first reported by Mineral Wells Area News, Fennell said her decision to withdraw came after conversations with her family and supporters and was driven by what she described as a fundamental shift within the Republican Party.
“Historically, the Republican Party stood for independence, integrity, and accountability,” Fennell said. “It was the party of limited government, local control, and leaders who answered to their communities—not to national political figures and shadowy mega-donors. Over the past several weeks, I have come to realize that this is no longer the case.”
She said the party’s “growing emphasis on personal loyalty over principle” was irreconcilable with her values and accused Republicans of excusing or minimizing what she described as a president’s “well-documented history of sexual misconduct.”
“I will not be part of a party where loyalty comes before all, even at the expense of Constitutional requirements, just and righteous decisions, and fiscally conservative policies,” Fennell said.
With Fennell’s withdrawal, Olcott is the sole Republican candidate in the House District 60 primary.
