Texas House runoffs bring wave of GOP incumbent defeats, give Abbott votes for school vouchers

(The Texas Tribune) – A wave of Republican incumbents were swept out of the Texas House in Tuesday’s primary runoffs, including a handful who opposed school vouchers last fall, handing Gov. Greg Abbott a tentative majority in the lower chamber on his signature issue. With most ballots counted across the state, six of the eight GOP House members who were forced into overtime appeared to lose their runoffs, continuing a surge of anti-establishment energy that had already led to the ouster of nine House Republicans in the March primary. Related Stories The runoffs brought mixed results for Texas’ hard right: the House gained a pro-voucher majority – for now – and the 15 GOP incumbents ousted by insurgent challengers across both rounds of the primary amounted to a record. But House Speaker Dade Phelan, the top target of the party’s rightmost faction, survived his runoff, setting the stage for a period of major turbulence and uncertainty for the lower chamber as it shifts even further right. As the runoff results took shape, Abbott declared that the House “now has enough votes to pass school choice,” the term used by voucher supporters to describe measures that provide taxpayer funds for private...