The personal, political drama follows Collin County's Abraham George in the battle for state GOP chairman

Collin County Republican Abraham George's bid for Texas Republican Party chairman has gained early support — but so far, his campaign has been overshadowed by family issues and GOP infighting that have focused supporters of his main

Top Texas Republicans, such as incumbent Matt Rinaldi and Attorney General Ken Paxton, have both backed George, but with that comes the baggage of other political rivalries that are emblematic of an increasingly bitter divide among the most conservative Republicans. moderate and more conservative in the state.

Gjergji himself is aligned with the latter.

“I know a lot of people who are in the state party,” he said in an interview with KERA, “and after talking to a lot of them, they said, 'Well, you can do this. Let us sort you out.' So it's more of a coordinated push by the Conservative side to elect someone to follow him and take the party to the next level since the Matt Rinaldi years.”

George identified some of his goals as making sure no Democrats chair committees in the state House of Representatives — something current House Speaker Dade Phelan has come under fire for in recent years.

George also prioritizes eliminating property taxes and said he is for “universal school choice.” But he has also drawn criticism within the party for not being a more devout supporter of school bonds, which Gov. Greg Abbott championed as one of his priorities in last year's legislative session.

And some of his political enemies have used the latest news an armed domestic incident involving his wife and two children as an indictment of George's personal character.

The state of Texas and most of its counties elect mayors who act as the voice of a party, said Cal Jillson, who teaches political science at Southern Methodist University. Chairs vet, select and fund candidates and work to put them on the path to winning elections – so the position carries a lot of influence. Delegates to the Republican State Executive Committee will elect the next statewide chairman at the party's convention in May.

“I think in the current Republican Party, you bet on the activist wing and their candidates, not the traditional wing and their candidate,” Jillson said. “So I assume Mr. George will be the frontrunner unless more information comes out that puts him in a worse light.”

Paxton once again supported George on social networks after supporting George in his race against Texas Rep. Candy Noble for House District 89, which George lost with 47% of the vote. The attorney general praised George's work as a Collin County fundraiser and as a member of the Republican State Executive Committee.

Other state leaders are not so enthusiastic about George. House Speaker Dade Phelan was at an event in Dallas on Tuesday, where he appeared alongside Gov. Greg Abbott for the first time since the primary race for House District 21. That race is headed for the runoff election in May.

Phelan presided over Paxton's impeachment in the House last year, and in return Paxton endorsed David Covey, who is now Phelan's opponent in the runofffor the seat of the Chamber.

Phelan told KERA that he does not know George personally, but he hinted at why he would not support George.

“Tell me who your friends are and I'll tell you who you are,” Phelan said. “So I've looked at who has supported him and I think he would just be an extension of the current incompetent leadership at RPT.”

State GOP censored Phelan in February, in part because of his role in the impeachment process. Rinaldi's time as chairman has been notable for what some party members saw as further change Republicans divided like Phelan and Gov. Dan Patrick — especially about Rinaldi's ties to Defend Texas Liberty PAC and former leader Jonathan Stickland.

The Texas Tribune reported that Stickland hosted white supremacist Nick Fuentes in his Fort Worth office building last year. Rinaldi was also seen entering the building, but he denied knowing Fuentes was there and later convicted Fuentes. Phelan criticized Rinaldi, who called on Phelan to resign.

The controversy surrounding George's race is emblematic of the growing divide between the more moderate and conservative wings of the Texas GOP, Jillson said.

“The ultra-conservative wing of the Republican party in Texas sees Phelan as an obstacle,” Jillson said. “They would like to defeat him and put someone in that position, elect a new speaker, and Abraham George would be part of that wing that is trying to move the Texas Republican Party further and further to the right.”

George started his campaign to become chairman of the Texas Republican Party on March 15, the same day Rinaldi announced he would not seek re-election. Rinaldi said another post he was proud to support George.

“He has a proven track record of fundraising and leadership as the Collin County GOP Chair and will keep our state party winning elections, serving grassroots Republicans first, and leading in policy,” he wrote.

George's most high-profile challenger is Dana Myers, a medical business consultant in Houston and current vice chair of the state Republican Party who has has also been critical of Rinaldi. In addition to her time with the state GOP, Myers has also served in a variety of leadership roles on the Harris County Republican scene.

Myers did not respond to a KERA News request for comment on her new opponent, but George said Myers is a good friend of his and he will continue to share his vision for the party — it's up to the delegates to executive committee to choose the best fit for the chair.

“It's not like me going against a Democrat,” George said. “She is a good Republican. We will work together.”

Some conservatives have also criticized George for his stance on education savings accounts, a voucher-like program that gives parents public funds to use to send their children to private school, homeschooling and other alternatives. for public school.

Before the primary, the Family Empowerment Coalition PAC — a pro-school voucher group — posted a 45 second video clip on X in which George said he supports parents having the power to choose their children's schools, but he also wants issues in public schools to be addressed without challenging them. For this, the site accused George of using “elected anti-school democrat” talking points and said he “cannot be trusted”.

George said his words are being taken out of context. He reiterated that he is in favor of school vouchers and the freedom it would allow parents. He mentioned maintenance and operations taxes – something conservatives have worked to eliminate in hopes of lowering property taxes – critical race theory and diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives as issues with the public education system that he said need to be “cleaned up and fixed.”

But demonizing school districts isn't the answer either, George said. Instead, school vouchers would make the school system a free market and encourage schools to compete to win over parents, a solution he said always “works itself out.”

“Just because I want to clean up and rebuild public education, that doesn't mean I'm not for school choice,” George said. “Just because I'm for school choice doesn't mean I'm against public education.”

More evidence that the heat is turning up in the race for party leader: a police report that circulated on social networks and it was confirmed by the Texas Tribune on Monday shows that the police came to George's house in March 2023 for a domestic incident between George and his wife Jeena.

One of George's children made the call, according to the report. George allegedly accused his wife of having an affair with someone from their church and was trying to leave the house while his family tried to keep him at home.

The report said police found George trying to get out of the house with a loaded handgun in his car door. George's wife hinted that he might go to Denton with a gun to confront the man he accused of being her boyfriend, according to the document.

But she also told officers that he did not physically or verbally threaten anyone, according to the report. George was not arrested or charged with a crime.

Rep. State Rep. Jeff Leach, R-Plano — who voted to impeach Paxton in the House — chastised George for the details in the report.

“I've read enough,” Leach said in a post on Monday X. “This police report is extremely disturbing on any number of levels, and Abraham George should immediately end his candidacy for Texas GOP Chairman.”

Leach too called for Body camera footage and audio from the incident will be released, with redactions made to protect his wife and children.

Gjergji did not respond to KERA News' requests for comment after the news was published, but in a statement on Monday Xhe called talk of the incident an attempt to smear his family and said the “desperate attack” would not change anything.

“Like any family, we have had misunderstandings and disagreements,” the statement said. “However, we have never stopped loving each other and our marriage is stronger than

In an earlier era of politics, Jillson said, personal issues like these might have seriously threatened George's success. But he said he is likely to be overshadowed by Republicans' desire for a leader who vows to fight Democrats tooth and nail.

“If that candidate, that fighter has some blemish on their record, that's unfortunate, but certainly not disqualifying,” Jillson said. “Because like Ken Paxton or like Donald Trump, Abraham George is willing to bring the fight to the Democrats, and that will smooth out a lot of personal blemishes on your record.”

Got a tip? Email Toluwani Osibamowo at tosibamowo@kera.org. You can follow Toluwani on X @tosibamowo.

KERA News is made possible through the generosity of our members. If you find this reporting valuable, consider it by making a tax-deductible gift today. thank you