Texas GOP Convention Draws 5,000 Delegates to Refine Platform as Abbott Pushes Unity
Updated
Updated · The Guardian · Jun 13
Texas GOP Convention Draws 5,000 Delegates to Refine Platform as Abbott Pushes Unity
3 articles · Updated · The Guardian · Jun 13
Summary
About 5,000 Texas Republican delegates gathered in Houston to rewrite the party platform for the next election cycle, with abortion, antisemitism and other conservative priorities triggering heated floor fights.
Abbott used a 25-minute speech to urge unity after a year of intraparty infighting, and delegates largely read his rare appearance as backing the party’s continued shift to the right.
Tensions spilled into the convention hall: one woman was loudly jeered over parenting remarks, and two attendees briefly came to blows after an amendment on antisemitism was struck out.
Paige the elephant—wearing a “Unity drives victory” cloak—provided the convention’s most theatrical image, but the gathering stayed focused on ideology rather than Houston’s new role as a World Cup host.
Delegates interviewed voiced far more concern about midterms, immigration, Iran and fuel prices than soccer, underscoring how little the World Cup has penetrated this hard-line Republican base.