In a victory for Texas Governor Greg Abbott, conservative challengers emerged victorious in several state House GOP primaries on Tuesday night. At least nine Republican incumbents were unseated, with an additional eight forced into runoff elections. Among these challengers were Janis Holt, Marc LaHood, and Helen Kerwin, who appeared on Fox & Friends First to discuss their success.
Holt, who won the Southeast District 18 primary, cited the open border as a major issue in her district, which is home to one of the largest illegal immigrant populations in the country. She expressed frustration with incumbent Ernest Bailes for not taking action on the issue and credited her victory to constituents who were “fed up” with his inaction.
“It was time because of the border. The open border is one of the major issues in our district,” said Holt, who won the southeast District 18 primary.
“Our district is home to one of the largest if not the largest, illegal immigrant population in the world, in the country,” she continued. “And it is ground zero here, and the open border is terrible here.”
LaHood, who won the race for District 121 in northern San Antonio, highlighted the border crisis as the top priority for voters in his district. He criticized incumbent Steve Allison for making promises but failing to follow through, saying that voters were tired of such politicians.
“People want security. They want conservative principles, and they want leadership. So we won decisively. Thank God,” LaHood said.
Kerwin, who forced a runoff against incumbent DeWayne Burns in House District 58, located south of Fort Worth, credited her “old-fashioned campaign” strategy and laser focus on the border as key to her success. She also noted that her opponent had outspent her two to one, but her authentic and sincere message resonated with voters.
Many of these challengers were endorsed by Governor Abbott, who made education freedom a central issue in his campaign. He had previously endorsed a plan for school vouchers, which was killed by GOP incumbents last fall. In a statement on Tuesday evening, Abbott expressed his support for conservative candidates who support the majority of their constituents in supporting education freedom for every Texas family.
The sweeping success of conservative challengers in the Texas House GOP primaries sends a clear message on two fundamental principles: our border issues must be addressed, and parents deserve the freedom to choose the best education pathway for their children.
