Texas Speaker Dade Phelan faces runoff against David Covey

Two-term incumbent and current Texas House Speaker Republican Dade Phelan is likely facing a runoff in District 21 against challenger David Covey after finding himself in the crosshairs of Attorney General Ken Paxton who has been seeking to oust any House members who voted to impeach him last fall.

Phelan stood his ground on impeachment even after the state Senate eventually acquitted Paxton, reemphasizing along the campaign trail Paxton’s alleged abuses of office. He’s earned the endorsement of a good deal of establishment Republicans including former Texas Gov. Rick Perry, who served in the Trump administration.

Meanwhile, Paxton and Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick put their weight behind Covey, an oil and gas consultant and former Orange County Republican Party chair who’s attempted to brand himself an outsider. Covey even scored a Trump endorsement, with the Republican presidential front-runner calling the impeachment an “absolute embarrassment.”

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Both of the leading District 21 Republican candidates lean very conservative — during Phelan’s two sessions as Speaker he helped pass some of the country's strongest abortion restrictions, permitless handgun carry, a ban on gender-affirming medical care for transgender minors, and funding for walls and fencing along the Texas-Mexico border. For his part, in addition to broadly supporting the conservative agenda, Covey has criticized Phelan for supporting some Democratic committee chairs in the House. He's also expressed support for the Texas secession movement.

Despite Phelan’s leadership experience and conservative bona fides, the Paxton impeachment seems to have been a driving force that’s thrown the race into question, dividing Republicans. There’s also a long-shot third primary candidate, Alicia Davis, who the Texas Tribune reported is unlikely to win but has the potential to pull votes away from Phelan.

A candidate must get 50% of the vote to avoid a runoff and proceed to the general election. If a candidate does not receive 50% of the vote, the top two candidates will have a runoff on Tuesday, May 28, with the winner moving on to the general election on Tuesday, Nov. 5.