Texas House Republicans have spent several sessions at war with each other. Insiders say it’s fueled in part by West Texas billionaire Tim Dunn, who is aiming to make the party more conservative as he expands his influence nationwide.
The party took steps this week toward kicking members off the primary ballot for failing to back the party-endorsed candidate for state House speaker. It’s the latest example of several years’ worth of powerful political figures seeking to eliminate fellow Republicans for resisting their agendas.
“It’s gotten to this point because of large donors pouring millions of dollars into attacking people around the state that basically won’t fall in line with their direction, the direction of those donors,” said Wayne Hamilton, who runs Project Red TX and is a vocal critic of the state party. “It’s not about issues. It’s about who’s going to be telling who what to do.”