Texas Republican Party Chairman Abraham George is sounding the alarm over a potentially growing disconnect between the grassroots conservative movement in Texas and operatives tied to President Donald Trump.
In a recent interview with Chris Salcedo, George responded to recent reporting that the political arm of the Trump White House is attempting to interfere in internal Texas GOP matters—namely, by opposing efforts to close Republican primaries and to enforce Rule 44, the party’s censure mechanism for officeholders who defy the party platform.
“The issue here is not necessarily the endorsement itself,” George explained. “It’s in somewhat of a conflict with our agenda here in Texas … The President is going to endorse someone that we may not even put on the ballot.”
George confirmed that, following direct conversations, the White House political team has backed off attempts to stop Texas from closing its primaries—a major concern for grassroots activists who argue that Democrats have used open primaries to influence Republican elections.
“They said, ‘We’re going to stay out of that one,’ which was great,” George said. “We appreciate that.”
But the standoff continues over Rule 44, which allows the party to censure Republican officeholders who violate core party principles.
“They’re going all in against the censures,” George warned. “We replaced 26 Republicans—fake Republicans—last time, and that’s why we had somewhat of a conservative shift in the Texas House in the last session.”
George expressed concern that Trump’s endorsements in Texas are now being driven by a narrow focus on school choice, despite many of the candidates having long histories of opposing the conservative agenda and even Trump himself.
“These are the type of people who [are] getting endorsed by President Trump this time because they supported school choice,” said George. “And our whole pushback is let the grassroots do their thing, and let us figure out if we want to continue to have these fake Republicans represent us under the Republican banner.”
To reinforce that position, the State Republican Executive Committee earlier this month passed a formal resolution urging Trump to delay his endorsements of Texas officeholders until the party’s censure process under Rule 44 has played out.
George also warned that the implications extend beyond Texas, noting that redistricting efforts crucial to expanding Republican seats in Congress could be jeopardized if candidates elected by Democrats refuse to support party priorities.
“If the President … says, ‘Republican Party of Texas, don’t you dare touch these people,’ … then we are in a place where we cannot push back because the grassroots love the president,” he said.
As George sees it, the battle is about defining the future of the Republican Party in Texas and nationwide.
“This matters to the party, it matters to Texas and the grassroots,” he said. “I hope this gets resolved very fast, and we can move on from this to actually doing the work.”
