AUSTIN, Texas — Texas House Speaker Dade Phelan has been forced into a runoff for the Republican nomination in his East Texas district by challenger David Covey amid a fierce campaign by state Attorney General Ken Paxton to oust dozens of GOP incumbents who sought his impeachment last year.
Phelan advanced to a May 28 runoff against Covey, an oil and gas consultant and party activist endorsed by Paxton and former President Donald Trump. Neither could win a majority for victory outright in a race that included retired hairdresser Alicia Davis.
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Paxton was acquitted of corruption and abuse of office allegations in a historic Texas Senate trial in 2023. But he blamed Phelan, a two-term House speaker, for leading that effort and mounted a political revenge campaign to oust the House leader and others who supported the unsuccessful attempt to drive him from office.
The runoff struck a heavy blow to Phelan, who led the Republican-majority House as it passed some of the toughest abortion restrictions in the nation, supported Gov. Greg Abbott’s nationally watched anti-immigration policies and ended diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives in public higher education.
But that wasn’t enough for some state Republicans. The state party censured Phelan last month for his vote to impeach Paxton, accusing him of a “lack of fidelity to Republican principles and priorities.”