AUSTIN, Texas — Texas Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick easily won his primary on Tuesday against Republicans Daniel Miller, Zach Vance, Trayce Bradford, Aaron Sorrells and Todd M. Bullis. Patrick's race was called early with only around 33% reporting.
Patrick released the following statement after claiming victory Tuesday:
“The people of Texas have spoken with one conservative voice, confirming what we already know. Texans are committed to keeping our state on its conservative path.
“Under my strong conservative leadership, the Texas Senate has made history during the past two legislative sessions, clearly the most conservative in Texas and perhaps American history.
“Like Travis at the Alamo, I drew a line in the sand. I will not yield or waiver. I am resolved to continue the fight for the safety and liberty of Texas.
“There have been great victories across the state, and many great senators have been re-nominated for their seats, and we have many great new Republican candidates for Texas Senate who are well on their way to joining the Texas Senate for the 88th Legislative Session. I congratulate them all.
“I remain grateful to the people of Texas for their support. May God continue to bless the great state of Texas.”
When the Republican race was called, Democrat Mike Collier was leading with over 40% of the vote. He's currently facing Michelle Beckley and Carla Brailey in the race for the Democratic nomination. As of 7:30 a.m. Wednesday, Collier had 42% of the vote with 91% of precincts reporting. It is likely he will advance to a May runoff, where he will face Beckley, who had 30% of the vote as of 7:30 a.m. Wednesday.
Collier, a 60-year-old accountant and auditor from the Houston area, was the Democratic candidate for lieutenant governor in 2018, when he lost to Patrick by nearly 5 percentage points. He also ran for comptroller in 2014 and lost to current GOP officeholder Glenn Hegar by 21 points.
“It's a big state and it takes a lot of effort to put together an infrastructure and all the contacts and experience to win,” Collier previously told KVUE. “Democrats haven't won a statewide race in 30 years, and there's a lot of reasons for that. But one of it is it's a big state and, which is why I've been working on this for so long.”
Patrick’s Republican challengers included Daniel Miller, leader of the “Texit” movement calling for the state to succeed. Miller, Sorrells and Bullis all campaigned on eliminating property tax, with Bullis saying he would make up the revenue by eliminating public school by repealing school taxes and selling off all school properties.
“Schooling needs to be done by private schools, parents, family and churches,” Bullis said.
For the latest election coverage, visit KVUE.com/VoteTexas. For Election Day results, visit KVUE.com/Elections.
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