More state House Republicans who voted to impeach Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton have drawn primary opponents, and during a surprise appearance, Paxton personally endorsed four of the challengers in Collin County.
On Monday, Abraham George confirmed that he was stepping down as head of the Collin County Republican Party to challenge three-term State Rep. Candy Noble (R–Lucas) in the March 2024 GOP primary for Texas House District 89.
George officially announced his resignation as party chairman and campaign launch at Monday night’s packed CCRP county executive committee meeting.
Two new candidates also revealed plans to run against Republican incumbents in Collin County’s House delegation.
Chuck Branch, a former McKinney City Council member and State Republican Executive Committeeman, told the crowd he is taking on freshman State Rep. Frederick Frazier (McKinney) in House District 61.
Daren Meis, a current Allen City Council member, announced he is challenging State Rep. Jeff Leach (Allen), who has represented House District 67 for six terms.
Plano businessman Wayne Richard, who also spoke at the meeting, announced last week that he is challenging five-term State Rep. Matt Shaheen (Plano) in House District 66.
All four challengers received strong applause and cheers from the roomful of party precinct chairs and county residents.
“We’re all running together,” said George.
“Our representatives are not representing us anymore,” he said. “They represent the Austin machine… They represent the lobbyists. They represent the special interests.”
Paxton, who resides in Collin County when he’s not in Austin, made a surprise appearance at the meeting to endorse the slate of candidates.
“We’re going to clean house,” he said.
Paxton said last week that he would be endorsing and campaigning for conservative House candidates running against “liberal RINO Republicans.”
All four of the challenged Collin County incumbents were among the 60 House Republicans who voted to impeach Paxton.
The Collin County Republican Party passed a resolution in June condemning the House impeachment vote.
The Incumbents
The impeachment votes were a final straw for many voters, but all the Collin County incumbents had drawn criticism for working against Republican priorities before the May impeachment vote.
Frazier announced in July that he is seeking re-election despite legal troubles, including felony charges tied to his 2022 primary campaign and a lawsuit alleging he stole money from a police charity.
He earned a 38 out of 100 on the Fiscal Responsibility Index for his votes on fiscal issues during this year’s regular session, and he also spoke in favor of gun control laws. His top campaign contributors were Texas House Speaker Dade Phelan ($171,949) and Texans for Lawsuit Reform ($163,958).
Leach has a career “B” rating on the Fiscal Responsibility Index, but his scores have declined over his six terms in office. This year, he earned a 63 out of 100. During the regular session, he promoted legalized sports betting and gun control measures, and he was also a leader of the House impeachment process.
First recruited to run for the state House by Paxton in 2012, Leach faced his first primary opponent in 2022 but easily won with 77 percent of the vote. Two of his top three campaign contributors that election cycle were TLR ($113,690) and Phelan ($65,150).
Shaheen has a career “A” rating on the Fiscal Responsibility Index, but like Leach, his scores have declined over the years. He earned a 71 out of 100 for his votes on fiscal issues in the 2023 regular session.
He has not faced a primary opponent since he was first elected to the House in 2014. His top campaign contributors in the 2022 election cycle were TLR ($202,860) and Phelan ($47,356).
Shaheen and Leach were once members of the Texas Freedom Caucus, but both have since dropped out.
Noble also has a career “F” rating on the Fiscal Responsibility Index and earned a score of 63 out of 100 for her votes on fiscal issues during this year’s regular legislative session.
The primary challengers offer Collin County voters a choice and a chance for change.
“Today we are looking for a new direction for Texas,” George said.
Primary Election Day is March 5, 2024.
