Texas GOP Legislative Priorities Listed
Among the tasks Texas GOP delegates accomplished during the weeklong convention was selecting the party’s eight legislative priorities for the next two years. Unveiled by Texas Scorecard on Wednesday, the final list of eight priorities includes:
- Protect elections
- Ban Democratic committee chairs
- Abolish abortion
- Repeal “obscenity exemption” for school materials
- Ban child gender modification
- Secure the border
- School choice
- Defend gun rights
Those that made the final list of 15 by the Legislative Priorities Committee, but missed the cut by the vote of the full body, include:
- Eliminate property taxes
- Protect the power grid
- Ban taxpayer-funded lobbying
- Protect medical freedom
- Reform emergency powers
- Convention of States
- Save Women’s College Sports
Texas GOP Chairman Matt Rinaldi said about the final list, “We are proud to be a grassroots led party and look forward to supporting these priorities next legislative session. These priorities indicate that Republican delegates want our legislature to prioritize protecting our rights, our borders, and our children.”
Recount Secures Cuellar’s Win in South Texas Democratic Primary
After a hard-fought runoff and a recount, the Democratic Primary for Texas’ 28th Congressional District has concluded. Congressman Henry Cuellar (D-TX-28) bested progressive challenger Jessica Cisneros by 290 votes, the second clash between the two in as many years.
“As I said on election night,” Cuellar said in a statement, “‘the margin will hold’ — and it has not only held but grown.”
His margin from the runoff night grew by eight votes from the election night count.
“To those who did not vote for me, as your Congressman I will continue to work diligently for you in Washington. While we may differ on certain positions, we share a common ground on many issues to improve our communities and strengthen families.”
In November, Cuellar will face Republican Cassy Garcia, a former staffer for Sen. Ted Cruz (R-TX). His district leans heavily Democratic, rated D-63% by The Texan’s Texas Partisan Index.
Should he win in November, Cuellar will secure his ninth term in Congress.
“We always knew this was an uphill battle. We were up against a corrupt political machine, Republican-funded Super PACs, Big Oil, the Chamber of Commerce, dark money groups, Big Pharma, and nearly the entire Democratic Party establishment — and we still refused to back down,” Cisneros said, acknowledging her defeat.
“With this close of a margin, it’s clear that without their aggressive interference in the lives of South Texas families, we would have won.”
Texas Democratic Party Chairman Gilberto Hinojosa said of the results, “We’re grateful to Jessica Cisneros for the positive campaign she ran — shining a light on the issues that are really impacting South Texas. We all know she will continue to fight for South Texans as we rally together behind our nominee, Henry Cuellar.”
Texas Log Cabin Republican Chair Resigns, Citing National Interference
The acting chairman of the Texas Log Cabin Republicans (LCR) abruptly resigned this week after the state party convention. In his resignation, Michael Cargill took aim at the organization’s national leadership.
“I see DC and California LCR members inexplicably interceding in Texas affairs and trying to pointlessly bully the Texas GOP,” Cargill said.
“If the Log Cabin Republicans continue down a path of divisiveness, lack of respect for the chain of command and due process, bully tactics, lack of cohesion, and unwillingness to work with all chapter and state LCR leaders in the organization, the state leadership will lose its diverse composition, and its ability to lead with credibility and a unified purpose.”
Cargill further told The Texan, “Texas LCR needs to wake up. If they continue on in this direction, they won’t exist anymore.”
Along with Cargill, two other Texas LCR board members resigned.
This resignation comes two weeks after Marco Roberts, the former chair of the Texas LCR, also resigned citing issues with national leadership.
The national LCR group criticized the Texas GOP for denying convention booth applications for Texas LCR and its local chapters. They also amplified a criticism from the Houston chapter of language adopted by the Texas GOP delegates calling homosexuality an “abnormal lifestyle” — something a few delegates tried and failed to amend on the convention hall floor.
Some Republicans’ embrace of LGBT constituencies and actions therein has not only created a rift between the national party and state GOPs, but also the state and national Log Cabin Republicans.
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Brad Johnson
Brad Johnson is a senior reporter for The Texan and an Ohio native who graduated from the University of Cincinnati in 2017. He is an avid sports fan who most enjoys watching his favorite teams continue their title drought throughout his cognizant lifetime. In his free time, you may find Brad quoting Monty Python productions and trying to calculate the airspeed velocity of an unladen swallow.
