Abbott, Cruz split endorsements in 3 Central Texas House Districts' GOP runoff races

Dueling endorsements from two top Republicans have upped the ante in several GOP runoffs for Texas House seats.

In a dynamic that has turned longtime political allies into temporary adversaries, Gov. Greg Abbott and U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, have split their endorsements in several Republican House runoffs, three of which are in Central Texas: House Districts 19, 52 and 73. The opposing endorsements shed some light on their competing bids to influence the character of the GOP caucus in the Texas House.

All three districts have open seats and were redrawn in the once-a-decade redistricting process last year to favor Republicans — giving the winners of the May 24 runoffs a significant advantage heading into the November general election. While the candidates in all three races are closely aligned on most policy issues, school choice or relationships with the candidates appear to be driving the split in the Abbott and Cruz endorsements.

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“I think it reflects the fact that there's a real kind of internal struggle in the GOP in terms of how to position their candidates and what issues are going to be the most salient for Republican voters, because who they pick now is going to dictate largely what the issues are in November, and that's important because the Republicans want to be able to hold these seats,” said Brandon Rottinghaus, a University of Houston political science professor.

Cruz has been an outspoken proponent of school choice, a term often used to describe a program that would give parents public money for private school tuition. The candidates he is backing have made school choice a central part of their campaigns. Abbott recently said he supports the idea, but he’s navigated the issue delicately in the past.

In previous legislative sessions, school choice bills have faced bipartisan opposition, especially from conservatives in rural districts, who are concerned that it would take money away from the public school system.

“The problem here has been that Abbott is getting pressure from Cruz in these runoff endorsements because Cruz’s endorsees are mostly supportive of school choice, and he's been very vocal about that. … So I think this puts Abbott in a tough spot,” Rottinghaus said.

Last week, Abbott sought to publicly reaffirm his support for school choice by advocating for a school voucher program that would involve state funding “following the student.”

“We can fully fund schools while also giving parents a choice about which school is best for their child,” Abbott said in San Antonio on May 9. “Urban, suburban, rural — if you like the public school your child is attending, it will be fully funded.”

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“I have long urged Texas to stand with children and against the special interests that are trying to deny Texans the freedom to decide how education dollars are spent,” Cruz said in a news release Wednesday. “No parent should be forced to send their children to failing schools, which is why I’m glad my friend Governor Abbott is so fervently supporting school choice.”

“I think that we're seeing the governor try to kind of arrange the pieces on the chessboard in such a way as to not anger conservatives who want school choice, but not commit himself or his endorsees to a particular legislative course of action,” Rottinghaus said.

HD 19: Justin Berry vs. Ellen Troxclair

In the GOP runoff for House District 19, Abbott has thrown his support behind Austin police officer Justin Berry, who faces former Austin City Council Member Ellen Troxclair, backed by Cruz.

Berry is one of the 19 Austin officers indicted on felony assault charges after being accused of using excessive force during the May 2020 racial justice protests. He has repeatedly defended his conduct and condemned the charges as politically motivated. Berry’s campaign largely has been focused on public safety, supporting law enforcement, lowering property taxes and securing the border. Berry previously ran to represent Texas House District 47 in 2020, narrowly losing to Democrat Vikki Goodwin.

Troxclair represented Southwest Austin on the City Council from 2015 to 2019, and throughout her campaign she has touted her experience as a conservative politician. Her policy priorities include securing the border, increasing police funding, cutting property taxes and supporting school choice.

Out of four candidates in the March primary, Troxclair came in first with about 38% of the vote, while Berry won just over 35%. The runoff winner will face Democrat Pam Baggett in November.

House District 19 is based in the Hill Country and covers Burnet, Blanco, Kendall and Gillespie counties, as well as part of western Travis County.

HD 52: Caroline Harris vs. Patrick McGuinness

In Williamson County’s House District 52, Abbott has endorsed policy adviser Caroline Harris, while Cruz is backing software engineer Patrick McGuinness. As both Harris and McGuinness are supporters of school choice, the split in endorsements appears to be driven by the lawmakers' relationships with the candidates.

Harris, a Round Rock native, has spent her career working in both chambers of the Legislature, and for the past seven years she has been a policy adviser for state Sen. Bryan Hughes, R-Mineola, helping him pass some of the most conservative legislation of the recent sessions, including the GOP election overhaul and the six-week abortion ban. Harris said her legislative priorities include securing the border, protecting the Second Amendment, restricting abortion access and promoting parental input on school curriculum. If elected, the 28-year-old would be the youngest member of the Legislature.

McGuinness is a software and machine learning engineer at Dell EMC and has lived in Central Texas for the past 30 years. He’s spent his career working in the technology sector, but he also has been actively involved in local Republican politics, as well as working for Cruz's campaign in 2016.

McGuinness ran as a Republican in Travis County’s House District 50 in 2010 but lost to Democrat Mark Strama in the general election. He said his legislative priorities are lowering property taxes, promoting school choice, securing the border and fighting vaccine mandates.

McGuinness won just over 35% of the vote in March’s primary election, while Harris won about 31%, among four Republican candidates. The runoff winner will go up against Democrat Luis Echegaray in November.

HD 73: Barron Casteel vs. Carrie Isaac

In the race to be the Republican nominee for House District 73, former New Braunfels Mayor Barron Casteel won the endorsement of Abbott and is going up against nonprofit executive Carrie Isaac, endorsed by Cruz.

House District 73 encompasses Comal County and the eastern half of Hays County.

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Casteel, a lifelong resident of Comal County, is an attorney and served two terms as mayor of New Braunfels, including during the pandemic, when he decided against closing down businesses and implementing mask mandates. Casteel describes himself as a fiscal watchdog, committed to lowering property taxes; supporting law enforcement and small businesses; fighting mask and vaccine mandates; and supporting parental input on school curriculum.

Isaac has lived with her family in Hays County for the past 17 years. She has been a volunteer at local nonprofits and her kids’ schools. Isaac favors school choice. She is the head of a nonprofit named DEWIT that provides financial support to veterans. The Texas Conservative Veterans PAC has accused Isaac of pocketing funds earmarked for veterans from the nonprofit. Isaac did not respond to the American-Statesman's request for comment on the issue. Her husband, Jason Isaac, represented House District 45 as a Republican for nearly nine years.

In a three-way race in the March primary, Casteel won 45.6% of the vote, while Isaac captured 44.8%. The winner of the May runoff will face Democrat Justin Calhoun in the fall.

HD 17: Stan Gerdes vs. Paul Pape

The Republican nominee for House District 17, which covers Bastrop, Burleson, Caldwell, Lee and Milam counties, also will be decided in a runoff. Neither Abbott nor Cruz has weighed in on the race. Smithville City Council Member Stan Gerdes faces Bastrop County Judge Paul Pape for the GOP nomination.

Out of five Republican candidates in March’s primary, Gerdes won nearly 30% of the vote, while Pape garnered about 28%. The runoff winner will face Democrat Madeline Eden in November.

This article originally appeared on Austin American-Statesman: Three Central Texas House districts split endorsements in GOP runoffs