The Texas GOP is having its convention in San Antonio, where I’m sure many are hoping to heal the wounds that were ripped open in the Senate primary, where state Attorney General Ken Paxton trounced incumbent Sen. John Cornyn (R-TX). Paxton also got a zero-hour enforcement from Trump. Unity is the goal here, though there’s another intraparty scuffle that appears to be still lingering, and it doesn’t involve the Cornyn-Paxton duel (via Texas Tribune):
Two years ago, the Texas GOP held its state convention in the throes of a ruthless primary fight aimed at ousting the Republican House speaker and more moderate lawmakers. This year, as the party braces for a tough midterm, delegates will gather in Houston under a historically unified spirit.
After years of a strained relationship between Greg Abbott and the Texas GOP, the governor has emerged as a key sponsor of the event. Dustin Burrows, after presiding over a wave of conservative wins in his first term leading the House, will be the first sitting speaker to address the convention. And party leaders are lining up behind Abraham George in his reelection bid to continue chairing the party.
It’s a stark change from the Texas GOP of years past. In just the last five years, one party chair resigned to primary Abbott, another endorsed against then-House Speaker Dade Phelan, convention attendees booed U.S. Sen. John Cornyn and as recently as last year, George entertained censuring GOP lawmakers who voted for Burrows.
With Attorney General Ken Paxton’s defeat of Cornyn in the primary runoff two weeks ago, party leaders hope to have allies in the governor’s mansion, atop the speaker’s dais and in Cornyn’s Senate seat next year, passing a new batch of conservative priorities approved by convention delegates this week.
[…]
One of the biggest lingering intraparty feuds dissolved last week when Secretary of State Jane Nelson, an Abbott appointee who opposed the Texas GOP goal of closing its primaries, leading the party to sue her in federal court, announced she is resigning her post in five weeks.
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Though what’s getting attention is the elephant the Texas Republicans had strolling through the convention, which relieved itself big league, near the press area:
OOPS! Elephant Has Unexpected Accident on Convention Floor at Texas Republican Gathering pic.twitter.com/MgYpMkcZ6z
— Breaking911 (@Breaking911) June 12, 2026
They just led an elephant through the @TexasGOP convention and it took a giant pee right near the press area. pic.twitter.com/jpefJDuxq6
— Lauren McGaughy (@lmcgaughy) June 12, 2026
HOUSTON — Elephant joins Texas GOP convention, and pees right between the press area and delegates, after Gov. Greg Abbott’s speech. pic.twitter.com/cbW84wXVO5
— Alejandro Serrano (@serrano_alej) June 12, 2026
That’s rather fitting.
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