Abbott’s Anti-Voucher Republican Plan Opens Door For Democratic Gains In Key Texas District

After Gov. Greg Abbott’s campaign to oust state Rep. Steve Allison in the Republican primaries for voting against school vouchers, Democrats view the new GOP candidate as vulnerable and are hoping to flip the district.

According to the San Antonio Report, Abbott’s actions may have effectively endangered the GOP dominance of House District 121, as Democrat candidate Laurel Jordan Swift has raised considerable support in her bid to flip the district.

Last Wednesday, state Reps. Gina Hinojosa (D-Austin), James Talarico (D-Austin), and Allison himself gathered in San Antonio for a public education forum with Swift and state Rep. Diego Bernal (D-San Antonio).

Allison, who still considers himself a Republican, decided to join Democrats because he thinks the fight for education is bigger than Abbott’s wishes.

“We can’t lose sight of the big picture… we’ve got to protect public education,” Allison said. “The governor thinks he has the votes [on vouchers]… and this election is one of those key three to five [seats] to flip that’s going to make all the difference in the world.”

Allison, a former Alamo Heights ISD board president, was one of the 21 House  Republicans who voted against Abbott’s vouchers proposal. In the primaries, the Governor spent considerable money campaigning against those who opposed his proposal. He heavily invested in Allison’s primary challenger Marc LaHood, who managed to defeat the incumbent by 14 percentage points.

Despite this, Allison has maintained his position as a vouchers critic, saying the measure would further defund public schools. He said Swift has a real chance to flip the district and support public education.

“I’m supporting her, and urging others to do the same,” he said.

However, Swift’s bid is still an uphill race, as she is a first-time candidate running and in 2022, Allison won the election by 10 percentage points. 

Swift could appeal to more moderate voters, as she identified as a Republican until 2016, and said most of her close friends and family are Republicans. The San Antonio Report noted that she could be benefited by the idea that residents might be feeling alienated by the party’s rightward shift.

Previously, the district was represented by former Texas Speaker Joe Straus, a moderate Republican.

Allison said that Republicans in the district know vouchers would drain resources from public schools, and that residents still want a candidate who can defend public schools.

“I was one of the 21 Republicans that voted against the voucher provision, and I paid for it,” he said. “I think that’s OK. I think we’ve got to take a stand for what’s right.”