Good morning,

This is the Texas Minute for Wednesday, March 6, 2024. Remember the Alamo!

– Michael Quinn Sullivan 

Dade Phelan Pushed To Runoff

• For the first time in more than 50 years, a speaker of the Texas House has been forced into a runoff. Dade Phelan will face David Covey in the May 28 runoff. Brandon Waltens has the story.
      

• Phelan took 45.8 percent of the vote, while Covey earned 45.3 percent. The third person in the race, Alicia Davis, had 8.9 percent.

     
• Former President Donald Trump endorsed Covey, going so far as to call any Republican who backed Phelan “a fool.”

Challengers Sweep Court of Criminal Appeals

• After stripping the Office of the Attorney General of the ability to prosecute election fraud, the three members of the court up for re-election fell to challengers supported by Ken Paxton. Luca Cacciatore has the details.
        
• Incumbents Barbara Hervey, Sharon Keller, and Michelle Slaughter all lost their bids for re-election to Gina Parker, David Schenck, and Lee Finley, respectively.
     
• Paxton made replacing the incumbents his top campaign priority.

Abbott's Push for School Choice Pays Off

• Despite heavy lobbying and even illegal electioneering by school districts, more than a dozen GOP races in the Texas House shifted in favor of school choice. In race after race, opponents of parental empowerment in education either lost outright or have been forced into a runoff.
      
• Most notable was the victory of conservative activist Mike Olcott over incumbent Glenn Rogers in House District 60. Sydnie Henry has the story. Olcott has no opposition in the general election.

Other Incumbent Losses...

• Kronda Thimesch (R-Lewisville) was defeated by Mitch Little.
        
• Travis Clardy (R-Nacadoches) lost his GOP primary election to Joanne Shofner.  Less than a month after winning a special election, Jill Dutton (R-Ben Wheeler) lost to Brent Money.
         
• Reggie Smith (R-Sherman) lost to Shelley Luther, while Matt LaHood beat Steve Allison (R-San Antonio).
      
• The legislative architect of the Colony Ridge debacle, Ernest Bailes (R-Shepherd), lost to Janis Holt.
         
• Hugh Shine (R-Temple) lost to Hillary Hickland, while Jacey Jetton (R-Richmond) lost decisively to Matt Morgan.
        
• "The RINO carcasses are stacking up. We're gonna need a bigger truck." – Texas Agriculture Commissioner Sid Miller

Mark Cuban Doubles Down on Support for Beleaguered Biden

• Mark Cuban, the gambling and DEI hype-man from Dallas, has endorsed Joe Biden for re-election. Daniel Greer explains that Cuban has been trying to sell the White House on his drug company.
      
• Cuban’s endorsement came days after the New York Times published polling, showing Donald Trump with a five-point lead over Joe Biden.
       
• In January, Cuban sparred on X with billionaire Elon Musk over "diversity, equity, and inclusion" policies advanced by leftists. During the exchange, Cuban pushed hard for DEI.
       
• Meanwhile, Cuban wants Texas Republicans to grant him a monopolistic casino empire he hopes to co-manage with the Las Vegas-based Sands Corporation.

Judge Blocks AG From Investigating Transgender Advocacy Group

• A judge in Travis County has blocked Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton from gathering information from a transgender advocacy group. As Emily Medeiros reports, the investigation is meant to uncover evidence of medical practitioners skirting a state law designed to protect children from being prescribed cross-sex hormones and receiving gender-mutilative surgeries.
       
• Judge Maria Cantú Hexsel said it would be a "gross invasion" of the privacy of the group and its members to turn over records.
      
• Paxton said the information is needed to determine if medical providers are committing insurance fraud. 

State Senator's Law Firm Threatens Mom for Complaints About School District

• Parents in the persistently mismanaged Marlin Independent School District are fighting back after a state senator’s law firm threatened two moms with a defamation lawsuit for publicly complaining about the district. Erin Anderson has the story.
         
• Monica Johnson and Brandolyn Jones filed a federal civil rights lawsuit accusing the district, its superintendent, and the ISD police chief of attempting to intimidate their families into silence and deter others from speaking up.
        

• The moms began complaining last year when Marlin ISD Superintendent Darryl Henson changed their high-achieving children’s grades and class rankings after the 2023 school year ended, adversely impacting the students’ college plans.
         

• The law firm of State Sen. Royce West (D–Dallas), who is a member of the Senate Education Committee, took the side of the school district. His firm demanded that the mothers stop criticizing the superintendent and district.
       

• Students in Marlin ISD lag far behind their peers statewide; just 25 percent of them met or exceeded grade level across all subjects. The superintendent's compensation is in excess of $235,000.

Quote-Unquote

"Nothing can conduce more to the order and stability of a government than the simplicity of the laws, the proper definition of rights, and their impartial and consistent administration."

– Sam Houston​

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