Official announcements from the Governor's office or Texas legislative records

Texas GOP Gains Momentum for School Choice After Primaries with 67% Success Rate and $9.5M Spent

Aug 28, 2024, 04:39 PM

In Texas, the push for school choice has gained significant momentum following the 2024 Republican primaries. Governor Greg Abbott invested millions in supporting candidates who favor school vouchers, targeting 18 primary races against Texas House Republicans opposed to his initiative. This effort resulted in a 67% success rate, with 18 out of 27 targeted legislators losing their seats. The SchoolChoiceNow PAC also played a crucial role, spending over $9.5 million across 15 states and defeating two-thirds of the incumbents they targeted. Despite strong resistance from some rural Republicans, school choice has become a litmus-test issue for GOP primary voters. Texas House Speaker Dade Phelan has indicated that school choice and education funding will be a top priority, with close collaboration planned with Governor Abbott, the Texas Senate, and Chairman Brad Buckley of the House Public Education Committee. The increasing popularity of school choice and the opposition from Democrats have made education a potential winning issue for Republicans. The issue previously failed to pass the House in 2023, but the votes appear to now be there after the 2024 Republican primaries.