Gov. Greg Abbott has launched a door-knocking campaign in a San Antonio suburb in an attempt to win more voters for his pro-voucher candidates in the upcoming runoff election.
The San Antonio Express-News reported that GOP candidate Alan Schoolcraft joined Abbott in his door-knocking effort last week with a fire truck to block traffic, a crowd of young staffers, and a state trooper. By contrast, incumbent Rep. John Kuempel – who will face Schoolcraft in the runoff – had only stacks of brochures and went it alone in his effort to sell his re-election.
Abbott has been trying to unseat House Republicans who oppose school vouchers. His candidates managed to defeat some incumbents, but there are still six runoffs that could determine the future of school vouchers in Texas. If Abbott’s candidates manage to win two of the six runoffs, his private school voucher plan may pass next year.
Abbott has already spent $6.5 million on his candidates in the primary and has received $6 million from a Pennsylvania TikTok investor and voucher proponent.
Now, with his door-knocking efforts, Abbott has taken a more personal approach and plans to rally voters to support pro-voucher candidates.
“In a runoff race like this in particular, there’s nothing more important than knocking on those doors,” Abbott told Schoolcraft supporters in New Braunfels on Thursday.
He also said he is very effective at the strategy.
“No one can say no when a person knocks on that door in a wheelchair,” he said.
Kuempel faces a tough runoff, with all of Abbott’s money and political power backing his opponent. Runoffs also tend to have lower turnout than primaries, and only a few thousand voters will decide the future of public education in Texas.
Kuempel was first elected in 2010, and has been previously endorsed by Abbott. The governor even said that Kumpel’s “strong conservative principles guide him and helped ban sanctuary cities, cut taxes and regulation, strengthen our local schools, and defend our constitutional rights.”
The incumbent also said he has voted with the governor 99 percent of the time, and for the one thing he opposed, he is now being targeted. He said he would continue to oppose private school vouchers if elected.
