Texas Primary Runoff Elections: GOP incumbents see major trouble amid anti-establishment sentiment

Texans headed to the polls on Tuesday to decide which Democrats and Republicans they wanted to see on the November ballot in several key congressional, legislative and local races. After several tight races took place, the results are in.

Some of the polls across the state were met with some inconveniences and technical difficulties. Polls were to be closed at 7 p.m. However, they remained open in Dallas County as 90 out of the county's 282 polling locations experienced power outages. Voters were also directed to other polling locations all day.

But regardless of mishaps, the primary runoff elections proved to be decisive for Republican incumbents, who saw major challengers across the state.

For instance, six of the eight GOP House members who were forced into overtime appeared to lose their runoffs as most ballots were counted across the state. These results show a surge of anti-establishment energy that had already led to the ouster of nine House Republicans in the March primary, according to The Texas Tribune.

However, two key GOP moderates won their contests. State House Speaker Dade Phelan barely survived the runoff against a challenger from the far right who was backed by former President Donald Trump, setting the stage for a period of major turbulence and uncertainty for the lower chamber as it shifts even further right, the outlet argued.

As Phelan declared victory, Gov. Greg Abbott announced that the House "now has enough votes to pass school choice," the term used by school voucher supporters to describe measures that provide taxpayer funds for private school tuition. The initiative has been taken by Abbott as one of his priorities, despite being widely contested and criticized across the state legislature.

"While we did not win every race we fought in, the overall message from this year's primaries is clear: Texans want school choice," said Abbott, who channeled all his energy and resources toward securing a pro-voucher majority in the House.

Another moderate Republican who emerged victorious was Tony Gonzales, who narrowly won his race against a far-right gun-rights activist.

Gonzales defeated Brandon Herrera, a gun enthusiast who called himself "The AK Guy" on social media and attacked him over positions that angered the GOP's hard right in Texas. Supporters of Gonzales had warned that a loss in Tuesday's election could open the door for Democrats to flip the district in November, CBS News reports.

Among his most moderate views, Gonzales supported a gun-safety bill after the 2022 Uvalde School shooting— which happened in his district. His support of the bill brought major criticism from Herrera and other hard right politicians.

Gonzales will face Democrat Santos Limon in the November general election. Amid criticism from his own party, Gonzalez told CBS News in a recent interview that hard-right lawmakers and Herrera aren't "serious people."

"There's a bigger battle happening outside this race, and it is what the future of the Republican party is going to look like," he said. "Is it going to be governing conservatives like myself, or is it going to be these bomb-throwing gestures that want to come up here and burn the place down?"

To see full results of Texas' primary runoff elections, click here.