Texas GOP Preparing to Challenge Open Primary System
AUSTIN, Texas — The Republican Party of Texas is preparing to challenge the state’s open primary system, asserting that the change is the only way to protect the party’s platform, values and future.
“Texas is red. Let’s keep it that way — by keeping our primaries red,” the state organization declared in a recent press release.
Like Republicans in other parts of the country with open primary rules, the GOP in Texas has long been worried about Democrats participating in their primaries and selecting the “weakest” candidates in the hope of creating a favorite general election matchup for their preferred Democratic candidate.
Those concerns reached a fever pitch last year during a runoff election involving former Texas House Speaker Dade Phelan.
Phelan won the runoff by 366 votes, but state Republican officials contend the primary was marred by the fact that 2,500 Democrats allegedly voted for him because he was the most moderate of the GOP candidates running.
There is no way to truly verify this claim because Texas does not ask prospective voters to declare a party affiliation when they register to vote.
Texas’ current voting rights law gives voters the opportunity to vote in either primary when they show up to vote, regardless of their party affiliation.
Last year, the Texas GOP changed its bylaws to state that only Republicans can vote in a GOP primary.
Earlier this month, the Texas GOP’s State Republican Executive Committee convened in Austin and voted “overwhelming” to further amend its rules.
The provision adopted in 2024, known as Rule 46, included the line: “In Primary Elections and Primary Runoff Elections conducted by the Republican Party of Texas, only United States Citizens eligible to vote in Texas who qualify to vote as Republicans in accordance with this rule may cast ballots in those elections.”
It has now been amended to read: “In Texas Republican Primary Elections and Texas Republican Primary Runoff Elections, only a United States citizen eligible to vote in Texas who is registered to vote with the Texas Secretary of State as a Republican may cast a ballot in those elections.”
In a written statement, party Chairman Abraham George said the revised language “clarifies, strengthens, and solidifies our party’s commitment to ensuring that only Republican voters decide Republican nominees.”
“As chairman of the Republican Party of Texas, I am fully committed to upholding the rules, priorities, and platform adopted by our delegates,” George said. “This is not just about a rule change — it’s about protecting the integrity of our elections and defending the voice of our conservative base.”
It also has apparently placed the Republican Party of Texas on a collision course with the state over the issue, though there’s still a chance the matter can be resolved before the two sides square off in a courtroom.
Earlier this week the party hired a law firm to file a lawsuit within weeks.
However, in picking a firm it reportedly chose one with a “good” relationship with both Texas Gov. Greg Abbott and Attorney General Ken Paxton in the hope of reaching an agreement before then.
According to Ballotpedia, at least one political party conducts open primaries for congressional and state-level offices in 20 states, a closed primary in 14 states and a semi-closed primary in 15 states.
Three states conduct some variation of an open and semi-closed primary.
Dan can be reached at [email protected] and @DanMcCue
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