Abbott, Paxton on Opposing Sides in Local House Race

Governor Greg Abbott and Attorney General Ken Paxton both vowed retribution against state lawmakers for votes they didn’t like during the recent legislative session.

With the Republican Primary nearing, Abbott and Paxton are picking sides in a number of races, including the one for Texas House District 85, which represents Fayette County.

The Texas House voted last year to impeach Paxton over charges of abusing his office. Following his trial and acquittal in the Senate, Paxton began campaigning against Republican incumbents in the House who voted for his impeachment. One of those to earn Paxton’s ire was Rep. Stan Kitzman of District 85, who is serving his first term in the House.

Kitzman drew a primary opponent this year. Tim Greeson of Sealy announced his candidacy back in October. In a campaign announcement that appeared in the Fort Bend Herald, Greeson cited Kitzman’s vote to impeach Paxton as one of his reasons for running.

It wasn’t much of a surprise when Paxton announced his endorsement of Greeson on Dec. 15.

Abbott, meanwhile, has largely stayed out of the fracas involving the Attorney General’s impeachment. But the Governor has been campaigning against incumbents who voted against his school voucher plan during the recent legislative sessions. Kitzman voted in favor of the voucher plan, and that earned him the Governor’s endorsement. Abbott issued a statement Dec. 14 calling Kitzman a “key ally in our shared mission to expand education freedom.”