Republican victories in Texas House runoffs enhance party's control

In the Texas primary, many Republican incumbents in the Texas House lost, including some who were against Governor Greg Abbott's important policy about school choice. Six out of eight Republicans in the Texas House were defeated in the runoff elections on Tuesday, adding to the nine who lost in the state's March primary. If these challengers win in November, Governor Abbott believes there will be enough votes in the Texas House to approve his plan. School choice vouchers use public money to pay for private school fees. This idea has had mixed results across the country. In Florida, some big public schools might have to close because of school choice. Governor Abbott said, "The Texas Legislature now has enough votes to pass school choice. This is a win for all Texas families." He also mentioned that even though they didn't win every race, the message from this year's primaries is clear: Texans want school choice. For months, Governor Abbott has been working to have more people in the government who support his school choice plan. This has caused chaos in the Texas House, with expensive elections challenging current members. In March, Abbott said they were just two votes away from having enough support to pass the school choice law. Democrats and some Republicans from rural areas have voted against this law before. Most districts in Texas usually vote for either a Democrat or a Republican. Democrats are focusing on one district, Texas House District 121 in San Antonio, which is important for the school choice law to pass. In this district, a Republican state representative, Steve Allison, lost to a challenger supported by Abbott, Marc LaHood. Texas House Speaker Dade Phelan, a Republican, who led the failed attempt to remove the scandal-plagued state Attorney General Ken Paxton, won the primary runoff for his seat. In the Republican primary runoff for Texas’ 23rd Congressional District, incumbent Tony Gonzales is leading his challenger Brandon Herrera by a small margin. This race has been one of the most expensive and bitter GOP primaries, with a lot of money spent on advertising. Gonzales was censured by the Texas Republican Party last year for not following Republican principles. The district includes Uvalde, where a tragic school shooting happened two years ago. The runoff showed the divisions within the GOP, with some members willing to block their party's plans if there's any cooperation with Democrats.