February 11, 2016 4:58 PM

Battle heats up in race for Texas House seat held by Rep. Dan Flynn

Wallace Hall and Sen. Bob Hall seek to undermine the incumbent; questions arise about the challenger’s resume

Texas House Pensions Committee Chairman Dan Flynn, R-Van, isn’t taking anything for granted as he runs for reelection against an upstart challenger who recently moved to the district and has the support of the area’s freshman state senator, Midland oilman Tim Dunn’s political network and UT Regent Wallace Hall, who has sought to inject the controversy over his fight with UT Austin into the race.

GOP primary challenger Bryan Slaton has argued, among other things, that Flynn unjustly went after Hall when he co-chaired a select committee that investigated Hall for his unprecedented demands for university records and for the way he handled confidential student information.

Flynn – the affable and very conservative chairman – enjoys the support of many local leaders, Texas Alliance for Life, Texans for Life, the NRA, former Sen. Bob Deuell, R-Greenville, and others. Deuell, it should be noted, actually carried much of Flynn’s district when he lost his reelection bid in 2014 to Sen. Bob Hall, who is backing Slaton.

“Bob Hall is still mad because I endorsed my sitting senator Bob Deuell," Flynn said. "That's what this is all about. They can't attack my record. You know how Ted Cruz says the Constitution never changes? Well, my voting record never changes.”

By Scott Braddock