More than 500 grassroots conservatives endorse Huffines for Texas governor

(The Center Square) – Within two weeks of declaring his candidacy for governor of Texas, Republican Don Huffines has received more than 500 endorsements from conservative leaders across the state.

“The fact that we have support from more than 500 grassroots leaders in Texas, who are steadfast and effective in their efforts to defend freedom and uphold conservative values, is a testament to what our campaign is all about,” Huffines said. “These patriots persist in their critical efforts even as politicians in the Austin swamp fail to take meaningful action on key GOP issues.”

Huffines joins two other candidates, Chad Prather, an entertainer running as a Republican, and Patrick Wynne, a U.S. Navy veteran running as a member of the Reform Party. The Reform Party was created by Texas businessman and former presidential candidate Ross Perot.

Among those endorsing Huffines is Uvalde Mayor Don McLaughlin, whose city near the border has been inundated with crime as a result of President Joe Biden’s open border policies.

In a video endorsement of Huffines, McLaughlin said, “As a mayor who sees what’s happening near our border on a daily basis, I want to make it very clear that the crisis on the border is far, far worse than many people realize; and it’s going to destroy my town, our state, and this country if we don’t do something about it now. Uvalde is 80% Hispanic origin, and it has been a peaceful place most of our lives. But not anymore.

“I’m fed up. Joe Biden left our border wide open, and Governor Greg Abbott has kept it that way.”

Federal and state law enforcement agents have apprehended more than 200,000 illegal immigrants in the Del Rio sector of Texas since January. In Uvalde, the number of immigrants who are apprehended every month is nearly the same as the town’s entire population of 17,000 people. In April alone, law enforcement apprehended 16,000 adult males who entered the U.S. through the Del Rio sector illegally.

Huffines recently blasted Abbott and the Republican legislature for failing to pass eight Republican Party of Texas legislative priorities.

“Republican politicians, despite having trifecta control in Texas, worked with Democrats to kill a number of key GOP bills,” he said, calling on Abbott to hold a special session now, not in September, to pass these.

Bills Republican legislators killed include a ban on taxpayer-funded lobbying, a bill related to social media companies that censor users based on political, ideological or religious beliefs, a bill banning biological boys from playing in girls’ sports, and a bill that bans sex change surgeries and controversial hormone therapies on children.

To date, Abbott has called for a special session in September for legislators to complete the decennial redrawing of districts and to pass election reform and bail reform legislation.

While Huffines blames the Republican-led Texas House of Representatives for allowing Democratic lawmakers to kill election integrity legislation, he places greater blame on Abbott. He said, “a critical bill like this can only fail in a Republican-led chamber when there is a failure of leadership from the Texas governor.

“I, along with Lieutenant Governor Dan Patrick, am calling on Governor Abbott to immediately convene a special session to ensure election integrity legislation is passed along with other GOP legislative priorities.”

Abbott said in a statement that he had made election integrity and bail reform “must-pass emergency items for this legislative session,” which the legislature failed to do.

“It is deeply disappointing and concerning for Texans that neither” reached his desk by the May 31 deadline, Abbott said.

“Ensuring the integrity of our elections and reforming a broken bail system remain emergencies in Texas,” he said, which is why he added them to the special session agenda in September. “Legislators will be expected to have worked out the details when they arrive at the Capitol for the special session.”

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