The runoff elections for Texas House District 33 concluded on Tuesday night, marking a pivotal moment in a particularly intense election cycle. The heightened stakes were driven by the efforts of Governor Greg Abbott and Attorney General Ken Paxton, whose influence pushed eight incumbents into runoff races.
Katrina Pierson won the runoff for House District 33, who at the time this article was published received 10,138 votes (56.4%) against Justin Holland, who received 7,849 votes (43.6%).
Although Rep. Justin Holland was on Gov. Greg Abbott’s “hit list,” for voting against his voucher proposal in the legislature, Abbott did not initially back Katrina Pierson. However, after Pierson narrowly led their three-person primary race and pushed Holland into a runoff, Abbott started to endorse her. Despite Pierson’s previous criticism of him, Abbott began supporting her campaign financially.
The governor’s move indicated that he viewed Holland, who did not secure 40% of the vote in the primary, as vulnerable.
Holland, a 40-year-old real estate broker and former Heath City Council member, was seeking a fifth two-year term in the House. He has alleged that Pierson would be “a puppet for the people that are trying to buy her vote right now” and said her lack of experience in elected office casts uncertainty on how she would vote in Austin, as first reported by The Texas Tribune.
