Gov. Greg Abbott endorses 58 Republicans who backed his failed voucher bill

Texas Gov. Greg Abbott appears to be following through on his promise to enact retribution on GOP lawmakers who won’t back his so-far failed push for school voucher legislation.

On Monday, Abbott issued an endorsement for every Republican in the Texas House who supported its most recent voucher bill. His move comes days after a bipartisan bloc effectively killed any chance of the proposal from passing during the current special session.

In a press release, Abbott endorsed 58 “strong conservatives” in the Texas House in their 2024 re-election bids and thanked five retiring House Republicans for their efforts “to keep Texas the best state in the nation.”

“I encourage Texans to join me in supporting them for re-election so we can pass school choice for all Texas families and continue to build a safer, brighter, and more prosperous Texas of tomorrow,” Abbott said.

Notably absent from the list were the 21 Republicans — mostly representing rural districts — who voted with Democrats to strip vouchers from House Bill 1, a $7 billion eduction package that also included teacher raises and school security.

The governor also neglected to mention GOP House members who opposed the voucher proposal in a statement honoring retiring House members.

Abbott’s Monday statement appears to be the first step in making good on his threat to support 2024 primary challenges against Republicans who declined to support him on his voucher crusade.

The governor has spent the past year stumping for vouchers, despite indifference from Texas voters and fierce opposition from Democrats and rural Republicans, who warn that Abbott’s so-called “school choice” agenda would decimate public schools by allowing parents to use tax dollars to send their kids to private campuses.

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This article appears in Nov 15-28, 2023.