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November 14, 2017      7:14 PM

SB: As hardliners push Texas House GOP to flex muscle in selecting speaker, Abbott works to reduce their numbers

Responsible Republicans argue a censure of Chair Davis would have stymied a straight ticket voting campaign next November because the censure would prohibit party resources from being used on Davis’ behalf

HOUSTON – Confession: Few things in this world are as fascinating and fun as the literal and figurative swamp of Harris County politics. The creatures lurking here in the murky bayou waters are powerful and petty, colorful and crazy. And they’ll get you if you’re not careful.

That’s why it was especially striking that as Gov. Greg Abbott on Monday threw the equivalent of a political Molotov cocktail at the Harris County Republican Party’s leadership, its executive committee meeting was relatively subdued.

Such meetings can erupt into shouting matches over much less than a governor inserting himself into what’s sure to be a nasty primary race, siding against a popular Republican incumbent who carried her district last year when her party’s White House nominee lost within the same political borders by 15 points to the Democrat.

Prior to Abbott’s endorsement of TPPF Fellow and Empower Texans favorite Susanna Dokupil, GOP activists in Houston had for the last week internally debated the wisdom of a proposed censure of Rep. Sarah Davis, R-West University Place. The censure motion never made its way to the floor of the meeting.  

There was grumbling among some precinct chairs, wondering if Abbott timed his endorsement of Davis’ challenger to add fuel to the censure frenzy among activists potentially forcing a debate of the measure.

By Scott Braddock

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