AUSTIN, Texas —
Texas House Speaker Dade Phelan has been forced into a runoff for the Republican nomination in his East Texas district by challenger David Covey, highlighting a fierce campaign by state Attorney General Ken Paxton to oust dozens of GOP incumbents who sought his impeachment last year.
Phelan advanced to a May 28 runoff against Covey, an oil and gas consultant and party activist endorsed by Paxton and former President Donald Trump. Neither candidate could win a majority for victory outright in a race that included retired hairdresser Alicia Davis.