Texas Tribune
Texas runoff leaves warring factions bruised, emboldened
by By Jasper Scherer, The Texas Tribune – 2024-05-30 15:31:26
SUMMARY: In the recent Texas GOP primary runoff, new state GOP Chair Abraham George called for party unity to defeat Democrats, contingent upon GOP House Speaker Dade Phelan losing his runoff. However, Phelan won, intensifying intraparty conflicts. Attorney General Ken Paxton, Phelan's major detractor, warned against supporting Phelan. The primary season, marked by heavy attacks and record spending, left both GOP factions injured but determined. Despite anti-Phelan gains, Phelan retained enough support to continue as a controversial figure. Divisions remain deep within the GOP, with upcoming elections and internal strategies likely intensifying the strife.
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On the morning of Tuesday's runoff, new Texas GOP Chair Abraham George called for an end to the Republican civil war.
“Let's all come together and row in the same direction,” he said, urging the warring factions of the party to “focus on defeating Democrats” once the primaries were over.
For George and his far-right allies, the call was contingent on GOP House Speaker Dade Phelan losing his runoff that evening, allowing Republicans to coalesce behind an even more conservative leader who would run the chamber by rejecting bipartisan compromise. Instead, Phelan eked out a win in his Southeast Texas district and vowed to keep control of the gavel next year — and the facade of unity dissolved.
Attorney General Ken Paxton, Phelan's No. 1 enemy, quickly sent up a warning shot to Republicans in the House who might dare to support the speaker.
“My message to Austin is clear: to those considering supporting Dade Phelan as Speaker in 2025, ask your 15 colleagues who lost reelection how they feel about their decision now,” Paxton said in a statement. “You will not return if you vote for Dade Phelan again.”
Phelan, R-Beaumont, has been a lightning rod for the GOP's ultraconservative wing since he backed Paxton's impeachment on corruption and bribery charges last spring. The hard right, led by Paxton and Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick, accused Phelan of ceding too much power to Democrats and went all out trying to oust him and his allies in the primary.
In the end, neither of the dueling GOP factions landed a clean knockout blow — instead they both emerged from the rubble of the vicious primary season injured and emboldened, their grudges calcified. The party's far-right flank drove a record 15 House GOP incumbents from office, replacing most of them with new Phelan-hating recruits eager to upend the status quo and focus on social issues. At the same time, the hard right fell short of its biggest prize, allowing Phelan to scrape by. And while the anti-Phelan contingent expanded its numbers more than ever before, in doing so it may have entrenched the speaker's support among GOP members who bristled at the attacks on the entire House's conservative bona fides.
It was a cutthroat primary season even by Texas' standards, defined by relentless attacks on candidates' integrity and distortions of their voting records, all amplified by historic levels of campaign ad spending. And it only seemed to lay the groundwork for more GOP chaos and strife, with no clear end in sight. Phelan's House allies remained defiant in support of the embattled speaker, while his rivals cast the results in other runoffs — six of Phelan's allies lost their seats — as a referendum for change.
“Like Republican voters in my own district in March, the voters here in [Phelan's] district saw through the lies and deception and learned what we all know to be true — the past two sessions, under his leadership, have been the most conservative sessions in the history of Texas,” Rep. Jeff Leach, R-Plano, said in a statement Tuesday evening.
Leach was one of 11 GOP incumbents who were at Phelan's side celebrating his win in Beaumont, a group that also included state Rep. Jared Patterson. The Frisco Republican told Lubbock radio host Chad Hasty on Wednesday that Phelan was “the most conservative speaker in the history of Texas” and predicted a majority of House Republicans would back him when their caucus meets in December to pick the speaker candidate they will nominate on the floor the following month, when the Legislature reconvenes.
Phelan's staunchest House critics dug in their heels, too, pointing to the mass turnover beyond the speaker's runoff. Patrick, who presides over the Senate, pinned the incumbent losses on Phelan, arguing he “threw them under the bus” by failing to lead on passing school vouchers and by allegedly compelling members to impeach Paxton — the two major flashpoints in the primaries.
“There are some Republicans out there, quite frankly, this morning who are choking on their own Kool-Aid,” Patrick told Dallas radio host Mark Davis, referring to Phelan's House allies. “To say that, ‘Oh we love Dade, he's great, he's wonderful, we're going to bring him back.' I'm sorry, then you're part of that team who wants to allow Democrats to control the [House] in a crimson red Republican state.”
The anti-Phelan bloc has organized behind a list of demands for the next speaker, dubbed the “Contract with Texas,” that would kneecap Phelan's power, should he win, and further diminish the influence of Democrats in the chamber. Phelan has taken flak from critics who say he should have done more to stop Democrats from using parliamentary maneuvers to kill or delay GOP bills last year. He has also faced blowback for continuing a longstanding tradition of appointing Democrats to chair eight of the House's 34 standing committees.
Twenty-one Republican nominees have signed onto the “contract,” forming about one-fourth of the House GOP Caucus if they all win in November.
The organizers of the “contract” released an unsigned statement Wednesday arguing that runoff voters “loudly reaffirmed the message they sent on March 5th,” invoking the GOP incumbents ousted in the first round of the primaries.
“Yesterday's election results herald the arrival of eight new reinforcements to our cause,” the statement read, referring to the six incumbent challengers and two other signatories who won open primaries. “The days of dysfunctional governance are numbered, as we vow to end the era of excuse-making and blame-shifting.”
State Rep. Nate Schatzline, R-Fort Worth, wrote on social media that the runoffs were a “HUGE WIN for the grassroots,” adding that next year's session “is about to be WILD!” One of only three members to vote against Phelan last year, Schatzline affirmed he would do so again when lawmakers reconvene in January.
State Rep. Tom Oliverson — once a Phelan ally — said Wednesday that Phelan's primary win was not changing his resolve to challenge him as House leader. The Cypress Republican pledged to “take the fight all the way to the floor” — rather than backing out at the last moment if he didn't have the votes — so that GOP members would get the chance to “declare their preference … for the status-quo or a new direction.”
Oliverson was joined in the speaker's race Thursday by state Rep. Shelby Slawson, R-Stephenville, who offered a scathing assessment of Phelan's leadership style as she announced her bid in a letter to fellow House Republicans.
“Our reform-minded members outnumber the status-quo supporters, and our ranks have grown with new energy this election cycle,” Slawson wrote. “We are collectively up to the task of decentralizing the power structure in the House and wholly changing the culture that throttles us instead of empowers us.”
Patrick, who lives next door to Oliverson and shares a political consultant with him, has declined to weigh in on Oliverson's candidacy. He told Davis he does not think Phelan will win back the gavel — but vowed that if he does, “we will be on his butt” about giving Democrats any political power.
“Everyone's going to be watching him like a hawk,” Patrick said.
To be elected speaker, a House member must secure 76 votes, a majority of the 150-seat chamber. Democrats control 64 seats, meaning a speaker hopeful could theoretically win with full Democratic support and around a dozen of the 86 Republicans. To prevent this scenario, Phelan's rivals have called for speaker candidates to only solicit support from Republican members.
Leach said the House GOP Caucus' bylaws require a candidate to secure 60% of the group's support at its December closed-door meeting to pick a speaker nominee ahead of session — meaning Phelan would need the support of 52 Republicans under the House's current makeup.
Hurt feelings
As the primaries receded, some of Phelan's allies urged Republicans to set aside the acrimony so they could focus on Democrats in November.
“There are hurt feelings after every single primary, more so this time because of the lies and the vitriol [directed at] all kinds of candidates for office — more than I've seen in 15 years in politics,” Patterson said. “But we have got to come together.”
State Rep. Gary VanDeaver, the only anti-voucher Republican who won his runoff, acknowledged the primaries “damaged relationships” between House GOP lawmakers. But while “there's no doubt [the House] is a different environment from the one we left,” VanDeaver said, he argued that most members probably share his desire to move on from the campaign and be “the adults in the room.”
VanDeaver, a Phelan ally who chairs the House committee in charge of education funding, said he “absolutely” supports Phelan and intends to vote for him next year. The New Boston Republican is one of the survivor's of Gov. Greg Abbott's separate but parallel war against House incumbents who voted against school vouchers.
Abbott endorsed VanDeaver the last couple election cycles, then spent more than $670,000 this year trying to deny him another term as part of the anti-voucher purge.
The feuding turned nasty: Abbott accused VanDeaver of voting against legislation to protect his own financial interests, a charge he denied. The governor also called VanDeaver a “fraud” for running a TV ad that claimed Abbott's voucher bill would have given tax dollars to illegal immigrants, an argument Abbott's strategist dismissed as “nonsense.”
VanDeaver said he is “ready to move forward.”
“I have experienced personal attacks, attacks on my character,” VanDeaver said. “That's one thing about a race like this. You learn who your friends are, but more importantly, you learn who they're not.”
Leach said he was also ready to turn the page, telling Davis, the Dallas radio host, that his “fellow Republicans, whether I supported them in the primary or not, are not my enemy. … My enemy is radical progressive Democrats who are working very hard, very aggressively, to take over the Texas House.”
After backing state Reps. Frederick Frazier, R-McKinney, and Justin Holland, R-Rockwall, in their runoffs, Leach sought to extend an olive branch to the two challengers who ousted them — both of whom oppose Phelan's speakership.
“Keresa Richardson, Katrina Pierson are going to be wonderful members of the Texas House, I have no doubt about it,” Leach told Davis.
Left unmentioned was a third runoff winner, veteran and GOP activist David Lowe, who unseated state Rep. Stephanie Klick, R-Fort Worth. Leach seemed especially eager to see Klick win, labeling Lowe a “porn industry profiteer” and “sexual degenerate” on social media last week. (Lowe, accused of owning pornographic web domains, has said he once bought and resold web domains in bulk to make money.) Lowe, for his part, has suggested Leach is a closet Democrat and accused him of “leaching off the Republican Party and concurrently turning his back on it.”
The two are poised to become House colleagues in January.
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Texas Tribune
UT-Austin offers probation to students arrested in protests
by By Asad Jung, The Texas Tribune – 2024-07-05 17:44:44
SUMMARY: The University of Texas at Austin is disciplining students arrested during pro-Palestinian protests in April by offering “deferred suspension,” allowing students to avoid suspension by proving educational growth. Deferred suspension requires students to take an exam on university rules and avoid appealing the decision. Some students, like Ari Lenahan, see this as a relief compared to harsher penalties faced by peers at other universities. Over 130 protesters were arrested, but Travis County Attorney Delia Garza declined to pursue criminal trespassing charges. The university's heavy-handed response has sparked criticism from students, faculty, and free speech advocates.
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The University of Texas at Austin has begun disciplining students who were arrested in pro-Palestinian demonstrations in April, scolding them for their actions but offering them a path to avoid suspension.
In letters sent out to students this week, first reported by KUT, university officials said it would be appropriate to suspend them for their actions during the protests but would give them the option to take “deferred suspension” instead, a form of probation that would allow students to remain in class and keep the disciplinary action from appearing on their final transcripts.
“Recognizing our commitment to educational growth, we want to offer you an alternative path to avoid suspension by proving that you have learned from this experience,” reads one of the letters obtained by The Texas Tribune.
Students who choose deferred suspension must agree to take an exam testing their knowledge of the university's rules and agree not to appeal the decision. The status would be active until July 7, 2025.
Those who decline that option would be suspended, the letter says. Students may also appeal the disciplinary sanctions through a university hearing.
Ari Lenahan, a UT-Austin student set to graduate in December, said he was relieved the university offered him deferred suspension since students at other universities across the country are facing harsher punishments after participating in pro-Palestinian demonstrations. He said it may be the best choice for him since he aims to graduate this year.
“It's a lot clearer where I stand now, at least in the university's eyes,” he said.
Lenahan still has a hold on his account preventing him from registering for classes in the fall but said the letter he received Wednesday states any holds will be removed once his case is resolved.
Anne-Marie Jardine, a recent graduate, received a sanction letter concerning her involvement in an April 24 pro-Palestinian demonstration. Jardine was told she would be under deferred suspension for one year if she were to re-enroll at UT-Austin. Jardine said she hasn't received her official diploma from the university yet.
Many other students under investigation have not yet been informed about how the university plans to move forward with their cases. Sam Law, a PhD candidate who was arrested on April 29, said that he expects the university will contact him soon.
More than 130 protesters were arrested at pro-Palestinian demonstrations on UT-Austin's campus in late April. In resolute efforts to dispel the protesters, law enforcement at the time deployed pepper spray and flash-bang explosives and charged students with horses. State troopers were deployed by Gov. Greg Abbott to help quash the protests and had a hand in the arrests.
Those arrested were charged with criminal trespassing but Travis County Attorney Delia Garza declined to pursue those charges.
In the aftermath of the protest, many students, faculty and free speech advocates questioned UT-Austin's heavy-handed response to the protests and criticized state GOP leaders' support of the arrests. Just a few years ago, Abbott had championed state legislation that protected free speech on college campuses, leading free speech advocates to ask who gets to enjoy free speech protections in Texas.
UT-Austin leaders, meanwhile, have vowed to carry out discipline against students who violated campus policies. Seniors in the class of 2024 were afraid their diplomas would be withheld, though they were permitted to join graduation ceremonies in the spring.
Sneha Dey contributed to this story.
Disclosure: University of Texas at Austin has been a financial supporter of The Texas Tribune, a nonprofit, nonpartisan news organization that is funded in part by donations from members, foundations and corporate sponsors. Financial supporters play no role in the Tribune's journalism. Find a complete list of them here.
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Texas Tribune
Hurricane Beryl likely to hit Texas coast Monday
by By Emily Foxhall, Berenice Garcia and Stephen Simpson, The Texas Tribune – 2024-07-05 16:47:07
SUMMARY: Texans are being urged to prepare for Hurricane Beryl, expected to make landfall as a Category 1 or 2 storm along the Texas coast on Monday. Currently crossing Mexico's Yucatan Peninsula, Beryl could hit anywhere from northern Mexico to the mid-Texas coast. Officials stress vigilance and preparation, especially for those along the Gulf coast, and advise stocking up on essentials like food and water. Emergency measures include distributing sandbags and readying evacuation plans. Beryl, an unusually strong early-season storm, has already caused significant Caribbean damage, with forecasters predicting a highly active hurricane season exacerbated by climate change.
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Texans need to prepare for Hurricane Beryl, which is likely to make landfall on the state's coast as a Category 1 or 2 storm on Monday, state emergency officials said.
The record-setting storm was moving across Mexico's Yucatan Peninsula on Friday, leaving forecasters still unsure exactly where along the Texas coast will see the worst rainfall and wind.
As Beryl left behind a trail of destruction across Caribbean islands, state officials urged Texans along the entire Gulf coast to pay close attention and prepare for a dangerous storm, particularly people vacationing during the July 4 holiday weekend.
“Everyone along the coast should be paying attention to this storm,” Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick said at a news conference in Austin. Patrick is serving as acting governor as Gov. Greg Abbott travels in Asia on an economic development trip.
Residents should be gassing up their vehicles and making sure they have food and water for themselves and their pets, Texas Division of Emergency Management Chief Nim Kidd said.
“A lot of people are out having fun right now, and that's a good thing, and we want them to continue to do that, but we also want them to prepare,” Kidd said. “We need a prepared community, not a panicked community.”
Boarded windows at the H-E-B Plus! grocery store in Brownsville on July 5, 2024.
Credit:
Michael Gonzalez for The Texas Tribune
Officials in the Rio Grande Valley and Corpus Christi have been distributing thousands of sandbags to help people prepare for potential flooding. South Texans have been eager for rain because the two major reservoirs on the Rio Grande have reached near or record lows in June.
Forecasters on Friday expected Beryl to make landfall anywhere from northern Mexico to the mid-Texas coast. The storm appeared likely aimed for South Texas but experts warned its path could shift north to Corpus Christi or Matagorda Bay.
Tropical storm-level winds would likely arrive Sunday night, according to the National Hurricane Center. Areas from Brownsville to Corpus Christi faced the greatest wind threat under the current forecast.
Heavy rain could begin Sunday and last through Tuesday. The National Hurricane Center predicted four to eight inches to fall along the South Texas coastline, with higher amounts in some spots, and up to six inches from Corpus Christi to Matagorda Bay. Forecasters expected the storm to slow over land, which would increase the risk of flooding.
Rip currents and high seas starting late Friday will make coastal conditions dangerous.
In the Rio Grande Valley, officials were preparing for possible flooding.
The eastern part of Hidalgo County tends to be hit the hardest during heavy rains, but the county was taking steps to mitigate flooding there, said Ricardo Saldaña, Hidalgo County's emergency management coordinator. Officials have placed water pumps near flood-prone areas and worked with contractors to prevent flooding at drainage project sites by covering up excavation holes.
Saldaña warned residents to make their own preparations by stocking up on food and water, preparing an emergency kit, and making arrangements with friends and family to relocate if necessary.
Sandbags at a county facility in Brownsville on July 5, 2024.
Credit:
Michael Gonzalez for The Texas Tribune
Cameron County Judge Eddie Treviño, Jr. recommended that people in recreational vehicles leave county parks.
“If you don't feel safe, evacuate,” said Tom Hushen, Cameron County's emergency management coordinator.
If there is flooding, Hushen said they were prepared to mobilize fire trucks and ambulances to help people evacuate. But high winds could pose another threat. Winds of more than 90 miles per hour could cause those vehicles to topple over. In that scenario, county officials would have to deploy larger vehicles like dump trucks.
Hushen said any power outages would prompt the opening of emergency shelters. He also advised residents to tie down any loose items in their yards and to bring in all patio furniture because high winds could turn those objects into projectiles.
“Listen to the warnings,” Hushen advised residents. “Things could change at a moment's notice.”
Beryl has astounded meteorologists with its strength so early in the summer. Warmer-than-normal ocean temperatures helped Beryl rapidly strengthen into a Category 4 storm in late June — becoming the first recorded Category 4 storm to form in June, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.
Beryl strengthened into a Category 5 and tore across the Caribbean, causing devastation in Grenada and Jamaica. It pushed onto the Yucatan Peninsula early Friday as a Category 2 storm.
“Beryl is so out of place historically given how early in the season it is and how strong it got,” said Houston-based meteorologist Matt Lanza, who helps write a blog on tropical weather called The Eyewall. “Typically you don't see that sort of thing until August — not the end of June, beginning of July.”
Federal forecasters expect this hurricane season, which began June 1, to be a bad one. They predicted to see 17 to 25 named storms form, which was more than they had ever forecast before a season's start. They believed four to seven of those would be Category 3 storms or stronger.
Climate change driven by people burning fossil fuels is causing oceans to warm and makes hurricanes more likely to be stronger. Scientists also say climate change may make rapid intensification of storms more likely — as happened with Beryl.
“To look at a satellite on June the 30th or July the 1st and to see a storm of Beryl's magnitude is almost unbelievable,” said Michael Lowry, a hurricane expert for WPLG TV in Miami.
Reporting in the Rio Grande Valley is supported in part by the Methodist Healthcare Ministries of South Texas, Inc.
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Texas Tribune
Michael McCaul seeks waiver to stay Foreign Affairs chair
by By Isaac Yu, The Texas Tribune – 2024-07-05 05:00:00
SUMMARY: U.S. Rep. Michael McCaul seeks a waiver to extend his chairmanship of the House Foreign Affairs Committee. During his term, McCaul, a Republican from Austin, led efforts to ban TikTok, supported Tibetan self-determination, and condemned the Chinese spy balloon. He also played a crucial role in passing a bipartisan Ukraine aid bill and has been active on global issues, including Ukraine and Taiwan. McCaul aims to maintain U.S. strength abroad amid growing isolationism in his party. Facing a six-year term limit, he needs special permission to continue, with several colleagues aiming for his position. His leadership's fate will be decided by the Republican Steering Committee.
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WASHINGTON — U.S. Rep. Michael McCaul isn't quite ready to give up his gavel.
In his two years as chair of the powerful House Foreign Affairs Committee, the Austin Republican has been busy; he spearheaded the charge to ban TikTok, authored one resolution on Tibetan self-determination and led another condemning the infamous Chinese spy balloon. Just last month, he helped shoulder a bipartisan Ukraine aid bill through Congress over many colleagues' loud objections. He's also traveled the globe, shaking hands with Volodymyr Zelenskyy in Ukraine, receiving a blessing from the Dalai Lama in India, and gifting Taiwan President Lai Ching Te with a cowboy hat.
To keep his leadership post on one of the most coveted committees in Washington, he'll need special permission, having hit his six-year term limit. Several colleagues are already gunning to replace him.
McCaul confirmed last week that he would indeed seek a waiver to serve another term as top Republican on his committee, which would need approval from a steering committee and then the full House Republican caucus.
“It's not time to change horses right now,” McCaul said in an interview. “It's a dangerous time where the world is on fire.”
If his quest is successful, McCaul pledges to keep supporting key allies around the globe and stay aggressive on adversaries like Russia and China. If not, defense hawks in Washington could lose a powerful voice in charge just as the GOP prepares to redefine its approach to foreign policy under a potential second Trump administration.
Closing out his twentieth year in Congress, McCaul is well-connected and one of the most experienced members of the Texas delegation, having chaired the Homeland Security Committee from 2013 to 2019. The Foreign Affairs Committee under his leadership has been the most productive House committee this term, his office said, with 67 measures and 18 bills passed by the full chamber.
McCaul is making the case that his relationships on the Hill — including a friendship with Speaker Mike Johnson that helped push Ukraine aid over the finish line — justify him staying on an extra term.
Johnson had voted against sending aid to Ukraine before becoming speaker, part of a growing wing of conservatives who believed foreign aid came at the expense of funding for border security. McCaul, a steadfast supporter of Ukraine, helped sway Johnson's thinking and the speaker ultimately threw his support behind a package to send $60 billion in aid to boost Ukraine's arsenal against Russia.
The decision was opposed by a majority of Republicans and drew the ire of hardline conservatives, including Rep. Marjorie Taylor Green of Georgia, who filed a motion to vacate the speaker, which failed.
“I think I feel compelled to do it not for myself, but I don't think anyone would be able to do what I do or shepherd the [Ukraine] supplemental the way I was able to,” McCaul said.
McCaul has also been a leading China antagonist this term, leading an effort to force the sale of TikTok to an American company. His visits with Taiwanese leaders and the Dalai Lama, who China views as a separatist threat, have drawn strong condemnation and sanctions from Beijing.
His efforts on Ukraine, Taiwan and elsewhere are linked by a desire to project U.S. strength abroad, even as the isolationist wing of his party grows.
“If we abandoned Ukraine and allowed [Vladimir] Putin to take over Ukraine and threaten Eastern Europe, that would be a big mistake, and it would send a message to Chairman Xi [Jinping] that Taiwan's fair game,” McCaul said.
House Republicans set six-year term limits for committee chairs, including years spent as ranking member when the party is the minority. The GOP last voted to keep the term limits at the beginning of the current term.
Waivers are rare. Only one was granted last session, to Rep. Virginia Foxx, R-North Carolina, who stayed an extra term chairing the House Education and Workforce Committee. Before Foxx, the last waiver was granted in 2012, to former Speaker Paul Ryan, R-Wisconsin.
McCaul's fight comes as Texan influence in the House is on the decline. The state delegation, which includes more Republicans than any other state, will see the retirements of Rep. Kay Granger, R-Fort Worth, who stepped down from her powerful perch as Appropriations chair, and Rep. Michael Burgess, R-Denton, who will give up the Rules Committee gavel less than a year after gaining it.
Rep. Jodey Arrington, R-Lubbock, will remain the top Republican on the Budget Committee. And Rep. Brian Babin, R-Woodville, is currently the only Republican running for the top spot on the Science, Space and Technology Committee.
Committee assignments are determined by the Republican Steering Committee, made up of party leadership and regional representatives, and then approved by the full conference. The 36-member Steering Committee, which always includes at least two Texans, has been stingy with waivers in the past, even when considering chairs like McCaul who have spent most of their time in the minority.
The decision could depend in part on how McCaul's committee feels about his leadership. Foxx had the support of every Republican on her committee in seeking a waiver, including from the next-highest ranking Republican who would have replaced her.
None of McCaul's 26 Republican colleagues on Foreign Affairs have made endorsements yet, but at least three members — Ann Wagner of Missouri, the committee's vice chair, Darrell Issa of California and Joe Wilson of South Carolina — have already confirmed they are running against McCaul for the top spot. The committee includes three fellow Texans: Reps. Nathaniel Moran of Tyler, Keith Self of McKinney and Ronny Jackson of Amarillo, none of whom responded to requests for comment.
It's not immediately clear whether any of McCaul's announced rivals would diverge greatly from his policy positions, and all three supported foreign aid packages for Ukraine, Israel and Taiwan earlier this year.
Matthew Choi contributed to this report.
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