House Republicans, some from Tarrant County, launch PAC to help keep Texas House red
A group of House Republican lawmakers, including a few from Tarrant County, have formed a political action committee with the goal of keeping the Texas House red.
With paperwork filed with the Texas Ethics Commission on Nov. 1, the Leading Texas Forward PAC lists Karl Rove, a Republican strategist and former senior adviser to President George W. Bush, as its treasurer.
Rep. Charlie Geren, R-Fort Worth, said over 20 lawmakers are involved with the goal of raising $5 million to aid Republican incumbents ahead of the general election next November. The group may get involved in some open races as well, and plans to start raising money by December, Geren said.
According to paperwork filed with the Texas Ethics Commission, Geren, and Republican Reps. Drew Darby of San Angelo, Lyle Larson of San Antonio, Four Price of Amarillo, and Chris Paddie of Marshall are listed as “contribution” and “expenditure decision makers.”
Some of the other Republican members involved include Rep. Giovanni Capriglione of Southlake, in addition to Kyle Kacal of College Station and John Kuempel of Seguin, Geren said.
Tarrant County, long seen as the conservative stronghold of Texas’ largest metro areas, is being eyed by Democrats who hope to turn Tarrant blue. Democratic U.S. Senate candidate Beto O’Rourke edged Ted Cruz by 4,000 votes in Tarrant County in 2018.
Five Tarrant County House seats in particular are being targeted by Tarrant Together, in part, because Republican candidates inched by with a little over 50% of the vote. Republican Reps. Matt Krause of Fort Worth, Tony Tinderholdt of Arlington and Craig Goldman of Fort Worth — whose seats are being targeted by Democrats — were all also each recipients of nearly $20,000 worth of polling services from House Speaker Dennis Bonnen’s campaign in June, according to campaign finance reports.
Democrats gained 12 seats in the Texas House last year — nine away from claiming majority — and Geren vowed that Tarrant County’s Republican lawmakers will have the PAC’s support ahead of the 2020 election.
“The Republican incumbents in Tarrant County that need our help will get it,” Geren said.
The PAC’s formation comes a month after Bonnen, a Republican from Angleton, announced he would not run for re-election following the release of a secret recording that supported accusations that Bonnen offered access in exchange for Empower Texans’ firepower in targeting 10 Republican incumbents in their re-election bids.
The allegations that Bonnen attempted to target members followed his own stern warning to House members in May: if they campaigned against their colleagues, they would face repercussions.
In July, Bonnen had formed a PAC of his own to ensure Republicans maintain their House majority.
Asked whether lawmakers involved in the Leading Texas Forward PAC felt they needed to take charge on ensuring a GOP majority in the wake of the scandal surrounding Bonnen, Geren said: “I’ll just tell you that we want to keep our incumbents elected and those that are running again. And we’re going to help them, and that’s the reason we’re raising this money.”
This story was originally published November 19, 2019 at 5:45 PM.
