Lauren Ashley Simmons declares victory over Texas Rep. Shawn Thierry, who broke with Democrats on LGBTQ+ votes

(The Texas Tribune) – State Rep. Shawn Thierry was defeated Tuesday by primary challenger Lauren Ashley Simmons, denying the Houston Democrat a fifth term after she sided with Republicans last year on a handful of bills opposed by the LGBTQ+ community. Simmons declared victory with a double-digit lead over Thierry. The contest was decided by Tuesday’s runoff after Simmons narrowly missed defeating Thierry outright in the March primary. “We did it, y’all,” Simmons said in a speech at her election night watch party, where she declared victory and told supporters she “wanted to be a clear example of what you can do when you have the power of the people behind you.” Related Stories Thierry, a 54-year-old Houston attorney, had been in her own party’s crosshairs since last spring, when she voted for a measure barring gender-transitioning care for minors, and then delivered an emotional speech from the House floor explaining why she broke with her party. Thierry’s vote, and her viral remarks, prompted a spirited and well-funded challenge from Simmons, a 36-year-old labor organizer. A number of prominent Houston Democrats lined up behind Simmons, including some of Thierry’s current and former colleagues in the Texas House – an unusually...