Which Side Has the Best Players in Texas House GOP Family Feud, 2018 Edition?

AUSTIN -- Republican factions have been warring over the Texas House since 2010, and each side this week claimed to have gotten the jump on next year's resumption of the battle.Tea party-aligned critics of Speaker Joe Straus, who is retiring, and his more traditional, pro-business followers closely scrutinized the lists of candidates for the House's 150 seats after Monday night's filing deadline.Straus detractors said they're delighted his team fielded very few Republican challengers to try to oust members of the anti-Straus Texas Freedom Caucus."Everybody saw that, saying hey, Rinaldi, Tinderholt, Stickland, no challengers?" noted Austin GOP consultant Luke Macias.He was speaking of Freedom Caucus members Reps. Matt Rinaldi of Irving, Tony Tinderholt of Arlington and Jonathan Stickland of Bedford. They and most other caucus members are unopposed in their primaries.  Continue reading...