The Republican Party of Texas is pressing ahead with its effort to prevent Democrats from voting in GOP primaries, advancing a rule change intended to limit participation to registered Republicans only—and setting the stage for a likely legal battle.
At its quarterly meeting over the weekend, the State Republican Executive Committee approved an amendment to Rule 46, which party leaders said will “clarify, strengthen, and solidify” the GOP’s commitment to allowing only Republicans to choose Republican nominees.
The new rule would require voters to register with the secretary of state as Republicans before voting in the primary, setting up potential litigation.
Legal observers say the lawsuits could range from Democrats wanting to maintain their access to the GOP primary to the GOP suing the state to enforce their right to control their own nominating process.
“This move reflects the will of Texas grassroots conservatives and honors the clear directive from the delegates of the 2024 State Convention, who voted overwhelmingly to close our primaries,” Texas GOP Chairman Abraham George said in a press release issued Monday. “Only Republicans should pick Republican nominees. That’s how we protect our platform, our values, and our future. Texas is red. Let’s keep it that way—by keeping our primaries red.”
Speaking Monday morning on The Chris Salcedo Show, George emphasized the reasoning behind the change, pointing to long-standing concerns over Democrat crossover voting in Republican primaries.
“We have an open primary, so when we have primaries to nominate our candidate for the General Election, the Democrats can come over and choose the weakest Republican. And that’s what’s been happening,” said George. “We’re not going to let Democrats choose our nominees. It does not make any sense. It’s like having [the] Dallas Cowboys quarterback… chosen by players from [the] Eagles.”
George said the issue has been exacerbated by the failure of the state legislature to act.
“We expected our legislature to take care of this problem, because they were in session… and they did not.”
“Now we are on our way to court,” George said.
The move builds on the party’s existing Rule 44 censure process, which allows local Republican parties to formally censure and disqualify officeholders they believe have strayed from the party’s principles.
“Local county parties in their district can look at their representative, the Republican representative, and say, Well, this guy got elected by making all of these promises, then went to Austin and acted like a Democrat,” said George. “We’re going to let them know that this guy is really not a Republican.”
He added that the party is ensuring local officials follow the rules exactly to prepare for likely legal challenges.
“Most of these things will be going to court, and we want to tell the judge and or the jury… we followed our rules. These people didn’t, and that’s why they are getting kicked off the ballot,” George said.
While the party’s actions are expected to be challenged in court, Republican leadership appears committed to pushing forward. The new rule is slated to take effect for the 2026 Primary Elections.
