AUSTIN, Texas — The widow of a Texas congressman who died early this yr of Covid-19 misplaced to a freshman state consultant on Tuesday in a particular runoff election between Republicans in search of to fill the vacant Home seat.
State Consultant Jake Ellzey, who narrowly missed capturing the Republican nomination for the seat in 2018, defeated Susan Wright, whose husband, Ron Wright, died in February about two weeks after testing optimistic for the coronavirus. Mr. Ellzey obtained 53.3 % of the vote and can be part of the second-largest congressional delegation — 23 Republicans and 13 Democrats — within the U.S. Home behind California.
Mr. Ellzey, basking in what he described as “an incredible day of celebration,” credited his victory to a optimistic message that performed effectively amongst his future constituents.
“I consider in a brighter tomorrow, and an incredible nation, and that our greatest days are forward of us,” he mentioned in a phone interview.
Mr. Ellzey, 51, was elected to serve the rest of Mr. Wright’s unexpired time period, which ends in January 2023, however he’ll rapidly begin working for a full two-year time period in subsequent yr’s election.
He mentioned he had a nice dialog on Tuesday with Ms. Wright, 58, who known as Mr. Ellzey a congressman-elect when she congratulated him on Twitter. “I’m praying for his success & want him effectively,” she wrote.
In Might, each candidates had captured far beneath the 50 % majority wanted to keep away from a runoff in a 23-way contest for the state’s Sixth Congressional District, which represents three counties simply south of the Dallas-Fort Value metropolitan area.
Ultimately, the runoff election, which drew far fewer voters than the first, was much less about two ideologically comparable candidates and extra about how a lot sway former President Donald J. Trump would have in getting individuals to solid ballots for Ms. Wright, whom he endorsed earlier than the first.
In a duel of former Republican leaders, Rick Perry, the state’s former governor and a cupboard member of Mr. Trump’s administration, threw his weight behind Mr. Ellzey, who like Mr. Perry is a former army pilot. After the results of Tuesday’s election was clear, Gov. Greg Abbott praised Mr. Ellzey.
“Jake will probably be a powerful and efficient chief for the individuals of North Texas and he’ll combat tirelessly for his or her values in Washington,” Mr. Abbott mentioned in an announcement.
As Mr. Ellzey closed in on victory, consultants credited him for constructing a methodical and well-structured marketing campaign within the face of highly effective outdoors opposition forces. Ms. Wright’s loss additionally raised questions concerning the depth of Mr. Trump’s endorsement.
“Trump can’t level at a candidate and say ‘I endorse that particular person, that’s my particular person, elect him,’” mentioned Cal Jillson, a political science professor at Southern Methodist College in Dallas. “He’s bought to assist with fund-raising, he’s bought to assist with messaging, he’s bought to assist by exhibiting up. And he didn’t do this on this race.”
The competition between Ms. Wright and Mr. Ellzey, who overtook a Democratic candidate by 347 votes to safe a slot within the runoff, dissatisfied Democrats, who had hoped to faucet a reservoir of shifting demographics and Hispanic and African American progress in a district the place Mr. Trump received by solely three proportion factors in November.
Ms. Wright, a longtime Republican activist, had pledged to proceed her husband’s legacy on a bunch of conservative priorities, together with abortion, weapons and immigration. And each candidates supported the Republican-backed voter overhaul laws in Texas, a measure that prompted Democrats to go away the state to dam a vote.
However the so-called Trump Issue was the most important subplot in Tuesday’s contest, with Ms. Wright and her supporters hoping the endorsement would propel her to victory. The previous president retains an immense maintain on Texas Republicans, and he carried the district by 12 factors in 2016 earlier than dropping floor within the area to Joseph R. Biden Jr. final yr.
Ms. Wright, who entered the competition two weeks after her husband’s demise, had prominently displayed the previous president’s endorsement all through her marketing campaign and launched Mr. Trump at a digital election-eve rally on Monday night time.
The Membership for Progress, a conservative fiscal group that supported Mr. Trump in 2020, has additionally aligned with Ms. Wright, spending $1.2 million to fund adverts and mailings attacking Mr. Ellzey’s legislative document and his conservative credentials, prompting fierce rebuttals.
Though the 2 candidates share comparable views on a lot of the base points, the Membership for Progress assaults injected a harsh tenor into the race, changing into a difficulty themselves. Mr. Perry, the previous governor, described them as “junk” and “absolute trash” and demanded that Ms. Wright disavow the claims, which she refused to do.
Joe Barton, who represented the district in Congress for greater than three many years, mentioned the tone of the Membership for Progress adverts was a think about his resolution to endorse Mr. Ellzey, although he was pals with the Wrights.
Heading into Tuesday’s race, Mr. Ellzey had raised $1.7 million, excess of the $740,000 raised by Ms. Wright, in line with information media reviews.
Matt Mackowiak, an Austin political advisor and president of the Potomac Technique Group, mentioned Mr. Ellzey’s capability to beat the unfavourable promoting was spectacular.
“Susan by no means actively or successfully raised cash,” he mentioned. “Campaigns matter and that’s the lesson tonight.”