BEAUMONT — Texas House Speaker Dade Phelan narrowly defeated David Covey in Tuesday’s Republican primary runoff, overcoming a push from ultraconservatives who portrayed him as too moderate for the Texas GOP.
Phelan defeated Covey 51% to 49%, according to unofficial election results.
With no Democratic opponent in the November general election, Phelan is set to serve a sixth term in the Texas House. But with several of his top Republican allies losing or trailing in their House primaries, whether he will continue as speaker in the 2025 legislative session is a different question.
“House District 21 is not for sale,” Phelan told supporters in declaring victory Tuesday night at JW’s Patio in his home city of Beaumont. “This was a true, true grassroots effort.”
Phelan entered the restaurant, which sits off Phelan Boulevard, with a victory cigar in his mouth and several of his top House allies cheering.
Phelan, ahead by 366 votes in unofficial returns, reversed a second–place finish in the March 5 primary, when Covey prevailed by 3 percentage points but fell short of outright victory, forcing a runoff.
In defeating Covey, who was making his first run for elected office, Phelan avoided becoming the first incumbent House speaker to lose a primary election since Democrat Rayford Price lost in 1972 after his district was redrawn.
He also avoided becoming the most high-profile of incumbent Republican House members to lose in the primary and runoff elections. Covey had the support of the most conservative members of the state’s party.
In conceding, Covey called Phelan a “swamp creature” and said he won largely due to support from Democrats. He offered no proof.
“Dade Phelan may have won this election, but in doing so, he has irrevocably destroyed his already feeble legacy,” Covey said in a statement. “Republicans must demand now that we close our primaries from Democrats.”
Attorney General Ken Paxton, who endorsed Covey, a former Orange County Republican Party chair and a petrochemical industry consultant, also blamed Democratic support for Covey’s defeat.
“We must close our primaries. Now,” Paxton said on social media.
Abbott’s campaign congratulated Phelan on the victory on social media after the governor did not endorse in the race.
Covey’s campaign was fueled by financial support and ad campaigns from national groups and by grassroots anger over last year’s impeachment of Paxton and the demise of several GOP priority bills in the House, including a school choice proposal allowing some families to use taxpayer money for private schools.
On Tuesday, Paxton and Covey appeared outside of a polling place at the Raymond Gould Community Center in Orange County to speak to volunteers and conduct a brief interview with conservative media.
As Covey and Paxton shook hands, volunteers for Phelan’s campaign chanted, “Phelan! Phelan! Phelan!”
Covey, who was making his first run at elected office, told The Dallas Morning News his first-place showing in the March primary — 46% to Phelan’s 43% — indicated that people in the district were ready for a change.
“They want someone who’s going to listen to them and work on the things that are important,” Covey said, citing border security and parental rights as the top issues voters have mentioned. “I’ve been very grateful for the support.”
The most conservative of the state’s GOP has long coveted the speaker’s office without success. Speakers are elected by the 150 Democratic and Republican members of the House, and lawmakers with moderate pedigrees have prevailed in recent years..
Phelan had not had a primary opponent in his four previous reelection campaigns, but Covey and another primary challenger emerged amid criticism over Phelan’s support for Paxton’s impeachment.
Phelan also was criticized for continuing the tradition of appointing Democrats to lead House committees and was blamed for the demise of some GOP priorities in the House, including Abbott’s call for a “school choice” plan to use public money to pay private-school costs for some Texans.
The executive committee of the state Republican Party censured Phelan in February, citing his appointment of Democratic committee chairs, Paxton’s impeachment and the demise of school choice over multiple legislative sessions.
Former President Donald Trump endorsed Covey and labeled Phelan as an “Absolute Embarrassment,” while Paxton made Phelan a top target for his impeachment support.
Another noteworthy supporter was Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick, who endorsed Covey, appeared in TV ads and attended Covey’s election night party in March. At the GOP state convention last week, Patrick said he wanted a “conservative Republican” to lead the House.
Covey, using language commonly used by Trump, called Phelan a member of the Austin “swamp.”
“He’s undermining this process of Texas governing like Republicans and like conservatives,” Covey said last week on the “War Room” podcast of Trump ally Steve Bannon.
Phelan rejected accusations that he was insufficiently conservative, pointing to the success of bills that outlawed most abortions in Texas, gave the state a role in arresting and deporting migrants and prohibited transgender minors from receiving gender-affirming health care.
He called the primary campaign against him the “dirtiest” he’d ever seen. In January, DPS troopers arrested an Orange County man accused of threatening Phelan on social media. In February, two men posing as Phelan campaign volunteers knocked on his home’s door and, according to Phelan, harassed his wife while he was not home.
Phelan significantly outraised Covey throughout the campaign, bringing in about $8.8 million to Covey’s $2.5 million since July 1, 2023. The vast majority of donations for both candidates came from outside the district.
