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AUSTIN, Texas — Republican Texas House Speaker Dade Phelan has won his primary runoff to survive a wave of party turbulence in America’s biggest red state and anger from the right over last year’s impeachment of Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton.
A shakeup in the Texas Capitol could still lay ahead. Although the victory keeps Phelan on the ballot in his southeast Texas district, the bruising primary fight leaves questions about his ability to retain the powerful speakership.
He rebounded to win the runoff after finishing second in March to challenger David Covey, a former local party chairman and oil and gas consultant.
At his election night party, Phelan declared victory in what he called “a terrible, awful, knockdown, drag-out” fight and told supporters he will remain speaker.
“I think this runoff did me a favor,” Phelan said. “It let my voters know what my real record is.”
The race was a snapshot of fractures within the GOP nationally. Phelan, who has been speaker since 2021, came under fire after his chamber voted last year to impeach Paxton on bribery and corruption charges. Paxton was later acquitted in the state Senate.
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