Alex Mealer Wins Texas GOP Runoff With 36% First-Round Edge as Trump-Backed Candidate Nears House Seat
Updated
Updated · Fox News · May 27
Alex Mealer Wins Texas GOP Runoff With 36% First-Round Edge as Trump-Backed Candidate Nears House Seat
9 articles · Updated · Fox News · May 27
Alex Mealer defeated state Rep. Briscoe Cain in Tuesday’s GOP runoff for a Houston-area congressional seat, moving within one election of the House in a district Republicans newly redrew.
36% in the March first round put Mealer ahead of Cain’s 31%, forcing a runoff after neither won a majority and setting up a test of Donald Trump’s endorsement power.
Trump endorsed Mealer before the initial vote, while the Club for Growth and Rep. Jim Jordan also backed her; Cain had support from Gov. Greg Abbott and several conservative groups.
Leticia Gutierrez now awaits Mealer in the general election, but the seat is rated noncompetitive and Trump would have carried the district by nearly 20 points in 2024.
The district was reshaped in a GOP-friendly redraw that pushed longtime Democratic Rep. Al Green out of the seat, underscoring how redistricting has tilted the race toward Republicans.
How did an Army veteran overcome a state official backed by the governor in a Texas runoff?
Was a $1.6M war chest or a compelling life story the key to this Texas primary victory?