GOP Speaker Team Fears Several Allies
in Peril as Texas Primary Election Nears
Capitol Inside
February 21, 2026
Texas Primary Races to Watch
| |
HD |
GOP |
| 1 |
85 |
Stan Kitzman (Inc)
Goose Geesaman |
| 2 |
13 |
Angelia Orr (Inc)
Kat Wall |
| 3 |
88 |
Ken King (Inc)
John Browning |
| 4 |
3 |
Cecil Bell Jr. (Inc)
Kristen Plaisance |
| 5 |
23 |
Terri Leo-Wilson (Inc)
Nathan Watkins |
| 6 |
121 |
Marc LaHood (Inc)
David McArthur |
| 7 |
17 |
Stan Gerdes (Inc)
Tom Glass |
| 8 |
67 |
Jeff Leach (Inc)
Matt Thorsen |
| 9 |
16 |
Will Metcalf (Inc)
Jon Bouche |
| 10 |
122 |
Mark Dorazio (Inc)
Willie Ng |
| |
|
|
| |
HD |
DEM |
| 1 |
119 |
Elizabeth Campos (Inc)
Ryan Ayala |
| 2 |
142 |
Harold Dutton (Inc)
James Joseph
Danny Norris |
| 3 |
100 |
Venton Jones (Inc)
Justice McFarland
Amanda Richardson |
| 4 |
144 |
Mary Ann Perez (Inc)
Emmanuel Guerrero
Michael Montemayor |
| 5 |
117 |
Philip Cortez (Inc)
Robert Mihara |
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Texas House leaders are seriously concerned about the fate of several GOP allies who could be in danger of losing seats in the upcoming primary election in the face of attacks from primary foes who've run hard right with Christian nationalist support in some cases.
With nine days and counting until the first-round Texas vote, Speaker Dustin Burrows
has attempted to enlist reinforcements from the Austin lobby to go door-to-door and perform other volunteer services for State Reps. Angelia Orr of Itasca, Ken King of Canadian, Stan Kitzman of Pattison and Cecil Bell of Magnolia between now the election.
The first-term speaker is trying to prevent a replay of the primary and runoff elections in 2024 when losses that a half-dozen GOP allies suffered set the stage for predecessor Dade Phelan's downfall from the dais where he'd led the House for four years. Phelan passed the torch to Burrows before the regular session in 2025 after it became evident that he couldn't win the job again himself. Burrows' chances of winning the gavel again in 2027 go down with each GOP ally who's ousted in the first round or overtime this year.
Burrows also has tried to muster help as a result for several more GOP colleagues who are facing tougher tests than expected in districts where State Reps. Jeff Leach of Allen, Stan Gerdes of Smithville and Will Metcalf of Conroe are fighting to stave off challengers in 10 of the hottest contests for the lower chamber in round one.
The House District 121 showdown between rookie Republican State Rep. Marc LaHood of San Antonio and Texans for Lawsuit Reform recruit David McArthur had been rated here as the hottest House race with an incumbent on the defensive until now. But the first-round clash in HD 121 has been lowered to 6th on the list heading into the final stretch amid perceptions that LaHood is on track to survive in a contest that had a $2 million combined price tag going into the final month before the vote. The HD 121 nominee for the Republicans will be a top target for Democrats in a district that would be one of the first to flip in the event of a blue wave that appears to be a rapidly-growing possibility. So LaHood's toughest test should come in the fall if he survives the primary.
The House District 85 competition that pits Kitzman against challenger Dennis "Goose" Geesaman has vaulted to the pinnacle of the primary rankings for primary fights that feature incumbents for the ruling party.
The reshuffled rankings for House races has Orr's fight with Waco resident Kat Wall in the second slot in House District 13 where the incumbent has been bombed relentlessly with attacks by a challenger who'd poured nearly $1.7 million of her own money into the fight with a month still to go before the election.
King is probably the speaker team's number one priority on the primary fight card for endangered allies in light of his status as the chairman of the State Affairs Committee. Despite a massive disadvantage in the money department a month before the vote, House District 88 challenger John Browning of Plainview has had a surge of support from the far right and had King on the defensive in the past few weeks as a result. As the House's most powerful member who isn't the speaker or budget panel chair, a King loss would be all the more costly in terms of symbolic value than any other in round one.
The HD 88 race is ranked third on the newly-revised list while Bell's bid to stave off a challenge from Kristen Plaisance in HD 3 is close behind in fourth amid the countdown to the vote.
Plaisance and Browning have both received five-digit contributions from the Texans United for a Conservative Majority - a political action committee that's based in Fort Worth and funded predominantly by Midland oilman Tim Dunn.
Governor Greg Abbott led the charge two years ago against Phelan team Republicans who'd defied him on a school vouchers bill. But the governor - outside of endorsements in open races and his official support for every House Republican who voted aye on school choice last year - had not been as invested financially this time around as he was with the vouchers revenge crusade in 2024.
The governor has been focussed instead on statewide races with agriculture commissioner contender Nate Sheets and Comptroller Kelly Hancock touring the state with him in the past week. The House impeachment of Attorney General Ken Paxton may have been the single biggest reason so many Phelan team members were vulnerable and lost in the primary election two years ago with the help of Abbott funding challenger campaigns.
more to come ...
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