Patrick and Paxton Break Ranks
on Senate Race in Epic Power Play

Capitol Inside
December 2, 2021

Internal warfare has erupted among Republicans on the far right with an open Texas Senate race as the flash point and Lieutenant Governor Dan Patrick and Attorney General Ken Paxton on opposite sides of a GOP primary bloodbath in the making.

Patrick appeared to be paving the path to the upper chamber for State Rep. Mayes Middleton of Wallisville this week when he did nothing to stop him from using bully tactics to prompt veteran GOP State Senator Larry Taylor's abrupt decision to call off a re-election campaign in 2022.

The powerful political committee Texans for Lawsuit Reform served up an endorsement for Middleton on Thursday in the primary competition for Senate District 11. “Over two terms in the Texas House, Mayes Middleton has proven himself to be an effective leader, passing principled, conservative legislation to improve the lives of his constituents," TLR said in a Twitter post.

But Paxton responded to the TLR plug by pitching his support in SD 11 to Robin Armstrong - a Dickinson physician who's a longtime party activist in Texas. Armstrong, a former Texas GOP vice-chair, entered the fray on Wednesday when he filed to run for the coastal seat that Taylor is giving up after almost 10 years.

"My friend @Robinlynnarmst1 is a strong conservative with a long track record of defending our rights and liberties against the radical left and establishment politicians," Paxton tweeted today. "Robin will make a great addition to the Texas State Senate. He has my complete and total endorsement."

TLR's intervention in SD 11 flies in the face of the group's guiding principal up to now when determining how to divvy up the massive pool of funds that it raises from big business and insurance interests. The Texas Lawsuit Reform PAC always had been loyal to the lawmakers and leaders who've stuck with it on key votes on bills that are priorities.

But Taylor had been one of TLR's top allies during stints in the Senate and the House where he served for a full decade before moving to the east wing. Taylor carried an array of legislation for TLR including a windstorm insurance measure that he authored and passed in the 2021 regular session with Middleton as the House sponsor.

But Taylor pulled the plug on his campaign after learning that TLR planned to rally behind Middleton in SD 11. TLR had already turned against Paxton - having endorsed former Supreme Court judge Eva Guzman in the Republican primary in the AG's race. Paxton could see his support for Armstrong as payback. Middleton is backing U.S. Rep. Louis Gohmert in the GOP fight for attorney general.

more to come ...