» ‘Class of 2014’ in Texas politics out to early lead,
From agriculture commissioner to lieutenant governor, all Texas statewide officeholders defeated their Republican primary opponents in Tuesday’s elections.
Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick and Railroad Commissioner Christi Craddick won by substantial margins over poorly funded opponents. But two other incumbents — Land Commissioner George P. Bush and Agriculture Commissioner Sid Miller — clung to relatively slim majorities to avoid runoffs against serious opposition.
In the end, it was a good night for officials who took office as part of Texas politics’ class of 2014. That year, there were an unusual number of open or hotly contested offices at the highest levels of state government due to the departure of then-Gov. Rick Perry, Greg Abbott’s decision to run for governor instead of seeking re-election as attorney general, and a lieutenant governor race that drew four prominent candidates and was ultimately won by Patrick.
Abbott easily defeated two GOP challengers, and Attorney General Ken Paxton, another 2014 classmate, was unopposed.
The crop of statewide officeholders was almost all seen as more conservative than its predecessors. So far, no one from that class has been unseated.
In seeking a second term to his first elected office, Bush on Tuesday defeated his predecessor, Jerry Patterson, who had criticized Bush for his handling of the Hurricane Harvey response and on his office’s plan to revive the Alamo complex.
“Sometimes when you make bold decisions and you’re a leader, you get criticized,” Bush told his supporters in his victory speech. “Everybody had their say in this race. There were four of us. But you know what? The people of Texas had their say tonight, and they spoke loudly and clearly.”
Bush will face energy attorney Miguel Suazo, who defeated software engineer Tex Morgan in the Democratic primary.
Miller carried a narrow majority in his re-election bid against two Republicans, lobbyist Trey Blocker and farmer Jim Hogan.
Miller, who owns a nursery in Stephenville and was a top Texas surrogate for President Donald Trump’s 2016 campaign, has caused a series of controversies since he took office in 2015, from widely criticized fee increases to offensive social media posts. But his popularity among the Republican primary electorate may have kept him safe from Blocker’s challenge.
Democrat Kim Olson ran unopposed in her party’s primary for the agricultural office.
Patrick, meanwhile, dominated former Rockwall City Council Member Scott Milder by an approximately 3-to-1 margin.
Milder, who founded a nonprofit aimed at spreading positive news about public education, was aided by some politically active teachers and education groups. But it wasn’t enough to make him competitive against Patrick, a former talk radio host and champion of the Texas GOP’s anti-establishment wing who has a loyal following in the primary electorate.
In the November general election, Patrick will face Mike Collier, an accountant who ran for comptroller in 2014.
Railroad Commissioner Christi Craddick won with a similarly commanding margin over GOP challenger Weston Martinez. On the Democratic side, Roman McAllen defeated Chris Spellmon.