Thousands gather for GOP convention amid party divisions

New numbers show record spending in the upcoming Republican runoff election between Texas House Speaker Dade Phelan, R-Beaumont, and challenger David Covey. (Getty Images/Covey campaign)

SAN ANTONIO (Nexstar) — More than 6,700 of Texas’ most active Republicans are gathered in San Antonio for the Republican Party of Texas state convention. On the to-do list: establish the party’s official platform, elect a new president in a hotly contested race and hold the general election.

Abolishing property taxes, creating a national border force, maintaining a ban on gambling and funding private schools for families were among the top priorities approved by delegates.

Many delegates are also pushing to close party primaries, which means allowing only registered Republicans to vote in primary elections. Today, any voter can choose to vote in either the Republican primary or the Democratic primary. Some activists worry that this allows for too much party crossover.

“We have too many Democrats meddling in our primaries,” said Republican delegate Brady Gray. “I come from a very, very red county, and in my county, if Democrats don’t like the more conservative candidate, they will cross the finish line and vote for the more establishment candidate. “That’s why I think it’s extremely important that we close out our primaries.”

These terms – “conservative” and “establishment” – embody the divisions within the Republican Party of Texas. The convention comes at a time when the party is expecting a shift to the right — with the Bush-era Republican old guard trying to fend off Paxton’s challenge and conservatives aligned with Trump.

“We need someone who can unite our party,” said Agriculture Commissioner Sid Miller.

These internal struggles will reach their climax this Tuesday during the second round of the primary elections. House Speaker Dade Phelan is fighting for his political survival in his southeast Texas district after drawing the ire of conservatives for impeaching Attorney General Ken Paxton and failing to pass a “public choice” agenda. ‘school “. He is one of the only incumbent speakers to face a runoff in Texas history.

If Phelan loses to his conservative challenger David Covey, it will cause an earthquake within the Texas Republican Party and shock waves through the Texas House. Covey and others in his faction are pledging to further marginalize Democrats, ending their presidencies and changing House rules to accelerate conservative priorities.

“I am happy that our party has censured Dade Phelan. It’s time we hold him accountable,” said Abraham George, front-runner for the party’s next presidency.

The Republican convention will run through Saturday, May 25. The Democratic Party of Texas will hold its own convention in El Paso June 6-8.