Who won big in Texas? Gov. Abbott and school choice, but Paxton will claim victory | Opinion

The Texas GOP took a significant step toward the populist right in Tuesday’s primary elections — and runoffs yet to come will probably take it even further.

Who gets the credit (or blame, if you prefer)? former President Donald Trump, for the Republican Party’s overall tone, and for results in a few key spots Tuesday. But mostly, it was the doing of Gov. Greg Abbott, who decided to throw his weight around in intra-party contests in a way few modern state leaders have.

Then, there’s Attorney General Ken Paxton. He went on a revenge tour against House members who impeached him, and while his candidates lost more than they won, he’ll be able to claim at least partial credit for a few huge results Tuesday night — most notably the peril facing Texas House Speaker Dade Phelan.

Phelan, a Beaumont Republican, is headed for a runoff, unusual for a powerful officeholder but perhaps inevitable once Trump and Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick joined Paxton in backing challenger David Covey. Any incumbent who gets pulled into a second round of voting is in trouble, and with the powerful forces aligned against Phelan, it’s probably even worse for him.

Paxton will claim to have caused the earthquake, but Trump and Patrick moved the plates. Few Paxton-backed challengers won their legislative races, unless they were also backed by Abbott, Patrick or both. There was no backlash to Paxton’s impeachment. The idea that his ordeal, entirely of his own making, has given him significant political clout doesn’t hold up.

Paxton also made a cause of unseating several judges on the Court of Criminal Appeals, the top criminal court in the state. He took the judges to task for ruling that the state constitution bars the attorney general from prosecuting voter fraud without a request from a local DA.

Say this for the AG: He knows his audience. Hard-core Republican primary voters prioritize election integrity, and Paxton spun a conspiracy they could buy into. He argued that the court ruling was the work of Democrats, knowing that urban DAs wouldn’t prosecute voting crimes, so their party could steal more elections.

It’s outlandish, but it worked. At least in this case, it’s about an issue and does not vindicate the abuse of office that led to Paxton’s impeachment.

In the Legislature, Abbott’s victories almost certainly mean a smoother path for his pet issue, school choice. Abbott-backed challengers appear to have beaten six incumbents, with four more headed for runoffs. Six incumbents appear to have survived.

In districts with no incumbent seeking re-election, Abbott’s choices won four and lost none, with two headed for runoffs.

The governor targeted Republican lawmakers who voted against his plan to create “education savings accounts,” many of them rural representatives whose communities supposedly did not want even a modest pilot program that would allow parents to tap state money for education expenses that meet their child’s needs.

Such a firm line in the sand was a miscalculation. Abbott and Patrick will probably now have the muscle to push through an even grander plan, if they choose. And after some school districts were caught red-handed trying to tip elections their preferred way, they’ll face even more determination from school-choice advocates.

And yet, these decisions were made by a pitiful fraction of Texas voters. It’s long been clear that voting in primaries, and usually on the GOP side, is the best way for voters to maximize their voices. But few do, and the rest tacitly endorse the increasing polarization and appeals to the extremes in both state and national politics.

In the runoff, even fewer will show up. So, get ready for more far-right officeholders, again and again, until Texans make up their mind that the pendulum has gone too far in one direction.

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