Paxton and Abbott anti-endorsements fray Texas GOP

That's even as they sometimes battle each other.

Per this piece, many of the wingnuts-squared who are running against wingnuts for state House seats, and with the endorsement of Abbott and/or Paxton, are deliberately stiffing media. My own House seat is interesting. Incumbent David Spiller, one of the House impeachment managers, nonetheless flip-flopped on vouchers in the last special session and has Abbott's endorsement. He's advertising in traditional media. His opponent, Kerri Kingsberry, a true whackadoodle wingnut squared, is not. It's also clear, per that piece, that many of these people actually believe the lies they tell. And, with her, not only is she not advertising in traditional media, I've not even seen any mailbox flyers. She's either really low on cash, or else it's a campaign of entirely visiting the new GOP's Kooky KonKlaves.

The Trib has another piece noting that the Paxton and/or Abbott endorsement vendetta is making tempers run raw among a number of rural House incumbents. Another is Travis Clardy, who's the flip of Spiller. He opposed impeachment, so has gotten Paxton's endorsement, but opposed vouchers all of the special sessions, so has earned Abbott's vindictiveness. As part of that, Abbott is getting called out, when he goes on the road, for having endorsed many of these incumbents now, and instead, running a single issue anti-endorsement. With Clardy, Paxton has been called out by a few wingnuts-squared for going soft.

The bottom line? Except in a few cases, like that of Rogers, most these anti-endorsements will fail. There will be more House-Senate divisiveness on vouchers, and after Paxton's trial, presuming he's convicted, more divisiveness there, as Dan Patrick will refuse to eat crow.

But, because billionaires flush with money (thanks Clinton and Obama for keeping Poppy Bush and Shrub Bush tax cuts in place) want to fuel these issues, and because Abbott's vindictiveness is well known, but only second to Patrick's, this won't stop.

And, with Glenn Rogers, it doesn't help that he beat Farris Wilks' son-in-law to first get in the House. (Wilks, for the unfamiliar, and his brother Dan, are the less visible tagalongs to Christofascist Tim Dunn.)

That is part of Chris Hooks' take on this. That said, I doubt this will radicalize the House that much, for reasons I note above. Most of these anti-endorsements will fail. Yeah, the general pressure of Wilks and Dunn is unremitting. But, the pushback is still there.

Nor will Democrats make any pickups directly related to this in cases where it does work. That's because Democrats have no candidates in most these places. If Mike Olcutt beats Glen Rogers, he's in. If Kingberry beats Spiller, she's in.