Texas Gov. Greg Abbott has successfully reshaped the state GOP landscape by spending millions of dollars campaigning against members of his own party who opposed his vouchers proposal.
According to the San Antonio Express-News, Abbott targeted 18 GOP by spending millions of dollars backing their opponents. One of those targeted was Rep. Ernest Bailes, who lost his primary against Janis Holt.
Bailes had voted with Abbott on virtually every issue during his six years in the state House, however, he voted against vouchers and the Governor spent more than $700,000 in Holt’s campaign. Bailes said there were up to a half dozen ads running an hour on TV stations saying Abbott didn’t trust him.
Holt, who had been easily defeated by Bailes two years earlier, won this time by more than 14 percentage points.
Moreover, Abbott’s involvement in the primaries had an important impact in voter turnout. A Hearst Newspapers analysis revealed that turnout in districts where Abbott spent money was significantly higher, with a 50% greater increase in voter participation compared to contested districts without his financial support. Notably, in District 121, Marc Lahood, who received substantial backing from Abbott, won his race by 3,090 votes in an election that saw 6,070 more votes cast than in 2022.
Experts have said that Abbott’s effords send a strong message to GOP members to support his proposals or face a tough reelection campaign.
“Abbott has made very clear to legislators, and strangely, especially legislators from his party, that his threats are credible,” Joshua Blank, a political scientist at the University of Texas at Austin, told the Express-News. “If the governor says that he has a priority and that he will punish those who oppose him, it’s clear that he means it. And for elected officials always concerned about reelection, he’s dramatically increased the cost of opposing him going forward.”
While Abbott specifically targeted GOP members who voted against vouchers, his ads usually focused on other issues. For example, the ads targeting Bailes alleged that the incumbent didn’t do anything to secure the border and that he voted along other Democrats.
Bailes said he voted against vouchers because he believed the measure would defund public schools in his district. He said he tried to talk with Abbott about the issue but he wouldn’t talk to him.
“He quite simply said how the vote has to be: ‘You have to vote for this, your people demand it,’” Bailes said. “I’m like, my people don’t demand that.”
“This job should be representing the district you are sent to represent,” Bailes added. “And the governor of the state of Texas plainly said, ‘That’s not your job.’”
