Sid Miller Wins GOP Primary for Ag Commissioner; George P. Bush Headed to Win in Land Commish Race

AUSTIN — Agriculture Commissioner Sid Miller and Land Commissioner George P. Bush fended off stiff challenges to win their Republican primaries and advance toward almost-certain victories in the November general election. Bush had over half the votes cast in a four-candidate field. His predecessor and fiercest competitor in the race, Jerry Patterson, trailed with about a third of the vote. Davey Edwards and Rick Range, two long-shot challengers, were far back."We've got a lot of work ahead, but the people of Texas have spoken in a big fashion," Bush told supporters at an election night party in Austin, where he was joined by his parents, Jeb and Columba Bush.Miller defeated Trey Blocker, an Austin ethics attorney who spent $1.1 million on his bid, and Jim Hogan, who did not actively campaign.Miller's spokesman Todd M. Smith said he had felt good about the primary results coming into Tuesday."Commissioner Miller has long said he had three Democratic opponents in this race, two of which were running in the Republican primary," Smith said. "We're looking forward to the general election in the fall."Because of the relative obscurity of the agencies, the two races seemed to be a litmus test of how closely aligned Republican voters are with President Donald Trump. Bush, whose father challenged Trump for the Republican nomination in 2016, was the only member of his family to support the commander in chief. Bush received an endorsement from Donald Trump Jr. on Feb. 6, and the president tweeted in support of Bush in the final days of the campaign.Trump also included Miller in his tweets endorsing Texas Republican incumbents. Miller shared Trump’s endorsement tweet and has boasted about his status as “Trump’s man in Texas.” Miller is one of the state's most colorful politicians, best known for receiving a so-called Jesus shot, whose makers claim can cure all pain for life.His biggest challenger was Blocker, who castigated Miller for being accused of ethics violations and for what Blocker said was an inability to “govern as a conservative.” Miller also has been criticized for his controversial social media posts. He has, among other things, shared a cartoon of a Florida congresswoman dancing on a soldier’s coffin; was forced to clarify that he was not equating Auschwitz with Confederate monuments; and apologized after his Twitter account called Hillary Clinton the c-word.The race for land commissioner was unusually fierce, with all three challengers taking Bush to task for his management of the Alamo and the land office’s response to Hurricane Harvey victims' need for housing. They also criticized the agency’s management under Bush and cried foul about donations to his campaign from businesses that received contracts from the land office.Bush’s campaign dismissed those claims as cheap shots and defended his handling of the Alamo and recovery. He touted his commitment to new ways of doing business in the agency, which he said led to a 15 percent cut to the state agency’s budget.In other races, Texas Railroad Commissioner Christi Craddick, seeking a second term, was sailing to victory against Weston Martinez in the Republican primary. On the Democratic side, Roman McAllen had a healthy lead over Chris Spellmon. Republican Sharon Keller, who has faced questions about her judicial and ethical conduct as presiding judge of the Texas Court of Criminal Appeals, was leading David Bridges in her primary bid for another term on the state's top criminal court. The winner will face Democrat Maria Jackson in November.  Continue reading...

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