Monday, April 29, 2024
How Republican voters feel about Gov. Greg Abbott and Empower Texans (ET) could play a role in who wins the Precinct 3 seat on the Commissioners Court and the District 60 House seat.
Mike Lang, of late an Abbott critic and now an Abbott target, is involved in both those races.
The Granbury resident is the outgoing state representative for District 60. Instead of seeking a third term, he decided to run for the Precinct 3 commissioner seat. He faces Jack Wilson, a recipient of the Governor’s Medal of Courage, in the July 14 Republican primary runoff. The two races involving
Lang and Hood County are among four GOP primary runoff contests in which Abbott is reportedly working to defeat candi dates associated with ET.
Lang has been closely aligned with the group and its mega-funders, the Wilks family of Cisco.
On June 19, an ET Texas Scorecard Radio podcast was mistakenly released in which ET operatives Tony McDonald and Cary Cheshire, thinking they were off-air, engaged in expletive-laced insults targeting Abbott. They mocked his paralysis and use of a wheelchair. Last week, Abbott endorsed Wilson in the commissioner race, releasing a statement that called him “a true Texas hero” with “conservative values.”
Wilson told the HCN on Friday that Abbott had invited him to Dallas on Sunday for an event featuring Vice President Mike Pence.
On the same day that Abbott, Pence and Wilson were in Dallas, that county recorded its highest number of COVID-19 cases.
Although Abbott has been popular among Republicans, his shutdown of businesses during the coronavirus pandemic caused a split within the party. Some Republicans believe that his executive orders were unconstitutional, or that he catered to liberaldominated cities.
In a letter posted June 22 on Lang’s campaign Facebook page, Lang stated that he wore the governor’s snub “like a badge of honor, because I know I am doing the right thing for my State and Country.”
Lang noted that Abbott had previously expressed faith in his “ability to lead, fight for what I believe in, and hold my ground for conservative values. Ironically, the sudden change of heart came about because of those traits.”
He stated, “Because I stood my ground to fight for my constituent’s (sic) rights, Gov. Abbott decided to play politics and has chosen to endorse against me and support a man he likely knows little about.”
Earlier this year, Abbott presented Wilson, a firearms trainer and former reserve deputy, with the Governor’s Medal of Courage during a ceremony at the Governor’s Mansion in Austin.
Wilson was credited with saving lives when, on a Sunday last December, he returned fire and killed a gunman who fatally shot two parishioners during a church service at the West Freeway Church of Christ in White Settlement.
LINES IN THE SAND
Wilson has voiced support for the Hood County Commissioners Court, which, with the exception of Prec. 4 Commissioner Dave Eagle, has honored Abbott’s executive orders.
Eagle has expressed the view that the governor’s decrees were unconstitutional.
Other members of the court stated that, while they might not agree with the government-mandated shutdown, the governor’s executive orders are considered law. If the court defied those orders, the court would then be breaking the law.
The Legislature is expected to debate the issue and possibly change the statute when it convenes in 2021.
Lang’s letter on Facebook stated that the Commissioners Courts in Eastland, Stephens and Hood counties “passed and signed resolutions pushing back against Gov. Abbott’s tyrannical actions.”
However, County Judge Ron Massingill, Prec. 1 Commissioner James Deaver and Prec. 2 Commissioner Ron Cotton told the HCN for an article published in its June 13 issue that the resolution adopted by the court stating that all individuals are essential was in no way intended to be a slap at the governor.
At the time, the HCN was unable to reach Prec. 3 Commissioner Bruce White for comment.
The resolution had been proposed by Eagle, but was tweaked before it was adopted.
In the District 60 House race, Abbott has endorsed Palo Pinto rancher and veterinarian Glenn Rogers over Jon Francis.
Francis is the son-in-law of Farris and JoAnn Wilks, and has been endorsed by Lang.
According to The Dallas Morning News, Texas Ethics Commission records show that during his 2016 and 2018 House races, Lang received more than $450,000 from Farris and JoAnn Wilks and almost $158,000 from the ET political action committee.
During a Republican candidates forum held last week at Granbury City Hall, Lang pledged in his closing comments to “stand between the government and you to protect your rights at all costs.”
He added, “If the governor doesn’t like me because of it, too bad, because I’m here to protect you, not the government.”
ernment.”
In his own closing statement, Wilson pledged to donate to local nonprofits a minimum of 10% of his salary while in office. He said that he will release monthly lists of charitable organizations to which he has donated. The winner of the primary
The winner of the primary runoff will face no Democrat on the November ballot.
kcruz@hcnews.com | 817-573-7066, ext.258
