Texas GOP Targets Non-partisan School Board and City Elections

AUSTIN – As part of a growing commitment to advance conservative principles on a local level, the Republican Party of Texas (RPT) announced Monday an initiative to play a greater role in non-partisan races and ballot propositions. As part of this initiative, the RPT announced the creation of a Local Government Committee composed of RPT Executive Committee members and local GOP leaders. The committee will assist county parties in electing conservative candidates in often-overlooked school board and municipal elections.

The Texas GOP has celebrated major successes in recent non-partisan races. With the assistance of state and county GOP leaders, last month, Carroll ISD in Southlake, Texas became one of the first places in the country where candidates running to oppose Critical Race Theory took a school board majority. Similarly, GOP-supported challengers unseated three long-time incumbents in Cypress-Fairbanks ISD, in Harris County, the state’s third-largest school district, after a controversy over Critical Race Theory. Also this year, Fort Worth Mayor Mattie Parker bested Tarrant County Democrat Party Chair Deborah Peoples, and former Hidalgo County GOP Chair Javier Villalobos was elected Mayor of McAllen, a long time Democrat stronghold. 

RPT Chairman Matt Rinaldi stated, “Following a year of big wins in school board and mayoral elections that drew national attention, the Republican Party of Texas is announcing an even greater focus on influencing local elections. It is no coincidence that this initiative comes at the same time President Biden’s Department of Justice is attempting to suppress parental involvement in local elections by threatening to treat parents as terrorists for becoming involved in their children’s education. Democrats across the country see the importance of local elections in the fight for America, and so does the Texas GOP.”

RPT Vice Chair Cat Parks stated, “Harnessing the full potential of county parties and GOP activists to impact local elections is one of the most consequential initiatives our party can undertake. School districts and cities are the largest items on Texans’ property tax bills; they have a huge impact on our everyday lives. We expect voters to choose lower taxes and common sense conservatism as opposed to the radical leftwing policies, limitless spending, and cronyism that traditionally accompany electing Democrats to those positions.”

Rinaldi appointed State Republican Executive Committeeman Rolando Garcia Chairman of the Local Government Committee and State Republican Executive Committeeman Pete Lauzon Vice Chairman.

Vice Chair Parks continued, “SREC Committeemen Rolando Garcia and Pete Lauzon were hand-selected for their experience in local races. Under their leadership, the Local Government Committee will deliver transformative results statewide.”