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IN AN UPSET, TRUMP-ENDORSED TEXAS CANDIDATE LOSES CONGRESSIONAL RACE
Powerlineblog ^ | July 29, 2021 | BY PAUL MIRENGOFF

Posted on 07/29/2021 5:27:47 AM PDT by lasereye

Tuesday was election day in a special race to select a successor to Rep. Ron Wright in Texas’ Sixth Congressional District. Wright died from the Wuhan coronavirus.

The candidates were Wright’s widow, Susan Wright, and Texas state Rep. Jake Ellzey. Both are conservative Republicans.

Susan Wright was the favorite and the leader in polls. She won the most votes in the primary, in which Ellzey barely finished second, just 354 votes ahead of the leading Democrat. In addition, Wright had the endorsement of former president Trump.

But Ellzey won the race by a margin of 53-47.

How did he do it? It must have helped that Ellzey had the backing of key Texas Republicans. Among them were former Gov. Rick Perry, Rep. Dan Crenshaw, and Joe Barton who represented the district in Washington until a sex scandal forced him out. However, Sen. Ted Cruz endorsed Wright.

Ellzey is a graduate of the Naval Academy, He served as a fighter pilot, doing tours in both Afghanistan and Iraq. From 2012 to 2018, he was a commissioner of the Texas Veterans Commission. He was elected to the state legislature last year. In 2018, he ran a close race against Ron Wright for the same House seat he won this time around.

Although Trump endorsed his opponent, Ellzey did not run as an anti-Trump candidate. Even so, the fact that he pulled off an upset victory over the Trump-endorsed candidate can be viewed as evidence that the ex-president’s influence among Republicans is waning, at least in this particular Texas district.

Trump’s team doesn’t see it that way. It blames the Club for Growth for inducing Trump to back a low-energy candidate against a proven vote-getter.

I should also note that there was no Democrat in the runoff race. Many Democrats simply stayed home — turnout for this election half of what it was for the primary. However, some Dems voted, and it’s likely that Ellzey fared better than Wright with this cohort.

But Mark Davis, a conservative talk show host in Dallas said:

The Trump base in District 6 paid little attention to the fact that Susan got his endorsement. They know that Trump had no familiarity with her and no familiarity with this race.

When, for whatever reason, the Trump base pays little attention to a Trump endorsement, that’s evidence of a loss of influence.

The Sixth District includes suburbs of Dallas/Fort Worth. Trump’s endorsements probably carry greater value in more rural districts. But any sign of waning Trump influence among Republican voters has some significance and, from my perspective, is good news.


TOPICS: News/Current Events; Politics/Elections; US: Texas
KEYWORDS: bloggers; election; ellzey; oldnews; powerlineblog; trump; wright
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The idea that it was a referendum on Trump appears to be totally baseless.
1 posted on 07/29/2021 5:27:47 AM PDT by lasereye
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To: lasereye

I guess we should all pack up and leave. NOT!


2 posted on 07/29/2021 5:29:56 AM PDT by HighSierra5 (The only way you know a commie is lying is when they open their pieholes.)
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To: lasereye

Independents did not vote in the primary and Eleasy was not a Trump basher. This is no big deal.


3 posted on 07/29/2021 5:30:39 AM PDT by kenmcg (tHE WHOLE )
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To: lasereye

Didn’t the same thing happen when Madison Cawthorn won?


4 posted on 07/29/2021 5:30:58 AM PDT by CondoleezzaProtege
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To: lasereye

Dominion I’m sure


5 posted on 07/29/2021 5:33:55 AM PDT by CincyRichieRich (WHEN TYRANNY BECOMES LAW, REBELLION BECOMES DUTY 1-6-21, American Revolution II Began)
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To: CondoleezzaProtege

Leftists have a hard time understanding that the right doesn’t always exhibit herd behavior like they do.


6 posted on 07/29/2021 5:34:12 AM PDT by teevolt
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To: lasereye

Trump’s endorsement can only go so far in his candidate is out-spent, out-worked, and out-campaigned.


7 posted on 07/29/2021 5:34:32 AM PDT by DoodleDawg
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To: lasereye

Oh the drama. Most Trump endorsements win.


8 posted on 07/29/2021 5:36:56 AM PDT by Vaquero ( Don't pick a fight with an old guy. If he is too old to fight, he'll just kill you. )
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To: lasereye

The Texas Republican party is still Bush country.


9 posted on 07/29/2021 5:37:14 AM PDT by JonPreston (Q: Never have so many, been so wrong, so often)
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To: lasereye

Ellzey won because he had Rats voting for him over Wright.

End of story. He owes his victory to democrats. /spit.


10 posted on 07/29/2021 5:37:26 AM PDT by Flavious_Maximus (Fauci is a murderer)
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To: DoodleDawg

True and what it shows is we better not be counting our chickens too soon. This will be a tough election, no cake walk.


11 posted on 07/29/2021 5:37:50 AM PDT by Mouton (The enemy of the people is the media.)
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To: lasereye

“The idea that it was a referendum on Trump appears to be totally baseless.”

Of course it is but the media is deperate to push their narrative that Trumps base is deserting him while in fact nothing ncan be further from the truth.


12 posted on 07/29/2021 5:39:59 AM PDT by billyboy15
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To: lasereye
Never Trumper and DC fat cat lawyer Paul M is a vile Bushbot sociopath.
Beware of anything spit out by this
Vile Bushy DC globalist lawyer.
13 posted on 07/29/2021 5:40:00 AM PDT by ncalburt (Gop DC Globalists are the real danger )
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To: lasereye

Rick Perry endorsed him. That can’t be good.


14 posted on 07/29/2021 5:41:31 AM PDT by ArcadeQuarters (Socialism requires slavery.)
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To: Flavious_Maximus

Yep ,
Dems voted to get the Trump bashing commie media talking pts. and Never trumpers like evil sociopath Paul.


15 posted on 07/29/2021 5:43:00 AM PDT by ncalburt (Gop DC Globalists are the real danger )
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To: lasereye

“Ellzey had the backing of key Texas Republicans. Among them were former Gov. Rick Perry, Rep. Dan Crenshaw, and Joe Barton”

That’s not encouraging. I don’t know anything about Joe Barton (or Ellzey), but he’s in a sentence with a couple of men who are dedicated to Globohomo. I guess we hope for the best.


16 posted on 07/29/2021 5:46:43 AM PDT by cdcdawg (It's all so tiresome.)
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To: Flavious_Maximus

It was 2 conservative candidates. There was no Democrat in this race.

You are correct; the Republicans votes were split and the Dems backed him over Wright just to stick it to Trump.


17 posted on 07/29/2021 5:46:47 AM PDT by TheWriterTX (Trust not in earthly princes....)
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To: lasereye

Shit happens.


18 posted on 07/29/2021 5:48:44 AM PDT by LIConFem (Read up on Russia's Oct, 1917 Revolution... And prepare.)
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To: lasereye

Hope he brings up the 3nd class treatment American citizens get in Mexico
The INVADERS because the term “illegals” has been banned.THEN RAISE THE ISSUE IF AMERICANS WERE DOING THIS TO MEXICO WHAT WOULD HAPPEN ?? ALSO POINT OUT THE 2ND CLASS TREATMENT AMERICANS GET IN MEXICO
It is time we reassert our; pardon my using what that one worlder’s call a cussword, SOVEREIGNTY, and consider applying RECIPROCITY. Give the the same treatment an American gets in Mexico The Demorat party ignores what any any citizen of America gets in Mexico .Illegal or legal enty by a Gringo


19 posted on 07/29/2021 5:49:10 AM PDT by mosesdapoet (AKA Lee J Keslin posting in the hopes comments get passed around )
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To: CincyRichieRich

Texas doesn’t use Dominion machines. When you yell “Dominion” like a Qtard without looking at any facts (like whether the State even uses those machines) that might make you a moron.


20 posted on 07/29/2021 5:50:36 AM PDT by TexasGurl24
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