In GOP Texas House contests, only Allison
Rep. Steve Allison has been a fixture in Texas House District 121, and we recommend him in the Republican primary.
Elected in 2018 to succeed former Texas House Speaker Joe Straus, Allison has served District 121 and the state well with a combination of conservatism and pragmatism.
That style of conservatism is under fire these days, and Allison faces two primary challengers, defense attorney Marc Lahood and retired Army veteran Michael Champion, a physician’s assistant. Both are running to Allison’s right.
Allison has been a principled advocate for public education, not surprising for someone who served 12 years as a member of the Alamo Heights school board, including three terms as president.
He opposes vouchers, which has put him in opposition with Gov. Greg Abbott. Last October, a pro-voucher group targeted Allison by showing up at his house to harass and intimidate him.
No dice. Allison, who has correctly called vouchers “devastating to public education,” was among the House Republicans during the 88th Legislature and four special sessions who thwarted Abbott’s attempt to pass school vouchers. Also to his credit, Allison was among the majority of the House who voted 121-23 to impeach Attorney General Ken Paxton.
These stances underscore Allison’s principles. They also do not detract from his conservative record. On immigration, Allison supported former President Donald Trump’s “Remain in Mexico” program, as well as Operation Lone Star.
Allison also voted for Senate Bill 8, Texas’ draconian abortion law, but in the wake of the case of Kate Cox, who had to leave to state to receive emergency abortion care, he has said it needs to be clarified. “It’s not just the baby’s life,” Allison told us in a candidate’s meeting. “It’s the mother’s life, also.”
Allison is easily the most qualified candidate in this race and an excellent representative for Bexar County.
District 119
Two candidates are running in the GOP primary for House District 119 on the South Side. Civil litigation attorney and U.S. Army veteran Brandon Grable is running against Dan Sawatzki, a retired U.S. Air Force veteran. This district is represented by Democratic state Rep. Liz Campos.
Grable is a first-time candidate, while Sawatzki finished fifth in a 10-candidate primary race for U.S. District 35 in 2022. Sawatzki did not respond to our interview request.
Grable is bright, articulate and possesses a strong résumé. We appreciate his stated commitment to listen to his constituents and rise above knee-jerk partisanship. We also commend his willingstate ness to go against the political grain and advocate for greater scrutiny, at the state level, on the issue of police accountability.
At the same time, we strongly disagree with his support for school vouchers, which he regards as an incentive for parents to become proactive about their children’s education, and Operation Lone Star program, which he defines as an essential to compensate for President Joe Biden’s failure to secure the border.
We’re also disappointed with the way he has chastised Republican lawmakers who took a politically courageous stand by impeaching ethically challenged Attorney General Ken Paxton.
In a Jan. 5 post on X, Grable said that all Republicans who voted to impeach Paxton “need to be voted out and investigated for fraud, waste, and abuse of taxpayer dollars.”
Given our concerns about the allegations Paxton faces, we cannot recommend a candidate in the GOP primary for District 119.