Trump calls for a primary challenger to Rep. Chip Roy one week after filing deadline

Former President Donald Trump's call for a Republican primary challenger to go after U.S. Rep. Chip Roy, R-Hays County, came a week after the filing deadline had passed, drawing ridicule from some conservatives.

"Has any smart and energetic Republican in the Great State of Texas decided to run in the Primary against RINO Congressman Chip Roy," Trump wrote Monday in a Truth Social post. "For the right person, he is very beatable. If interested, let me know!!!"

Roy will run unopposed in the GOP primary in March for Texas' 21st Congressional District after no challenger filed before the Dec. 11 deadline.

The Texas Republican likely drew Trump's ire for openly supporting Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, a GOP presidential candidate running against Trump, during campaign stops in Iowa over the weekend and on Fox News on Monday evening.

Roy took advantage of Trump's attack to further emphasize his support for DeSantis during an interview with Steve Deace, a BlazeTV talk show host, ahead of more campaign events for DeSantis on Tuesday morning.

"It's just more of the same out of the Trump camp," Roy told Deace. "Ron DeSantis, he's not in it for show; he's not worried about going after some congressman on Twitter, saying that somebody should primary him."

In a tweet defending Roy on Tuesday, DeSantis noted that representative from Texas is one of the most conservative members in Congress.

But Roy has been on Trump's blacklist since he and a handful of other Republicans voted against overturning the 2020 presidential election results on Jan. 6, 2021. Roy also called Trump's conduct on Jan. 6 "clearly impeachable", though he did not vote to impeach the former president.

In May 2021, a few months after Roy condemned Trump, the former president endorsed Rep. Elise Stefanik, R-N.Y., for House GOP Conference chair over Roy, writing, "Can’t imagine Republican House Members would go with Chip Roy—he has not done a great job, and will probably be successfully primaried in his own district.”

The rivalry deepened when Roy became the first member of Congress to endorse DeSantis' presidential campaign in March, before DeSantis had even announced he would run.

"I do think it shows that with Trump, it’s all about if you kiss the ring,” DeSantis said at a Tuesday campaign stop in Iowa, per NBC News' "Meet the Press."

Roy was first elected in 2018 to represent the 21st Congressional District, which stretches from South Austin to an area north of San Antonio, including Hays County. Before joining the U.S. House, the former investment banking analyst-turned-lawyer was a top aide to U.S. Sen. John Cornyn, R-Texas; chief of staff to U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas; and first assistant attorney general under Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton.

Roy blew three primary opponents out of the water in 2022, winning 83% of the vote, and he won nearly two-thirds of the vote against Democratic challenger Claudia Zapata, according to Ballotpedia, which characterizes the district as a Republican stronghold.

Roy will face Democratic challenger Kristin Hook in the Nov. 5 general election.

This article originally appeared on Austin American-Statesman: Trump calls for primary challenger to Rep. Chip Roy after filing deadline