Texas independence referendum moves one step closer

The new chair and vice-chair of the Republican Party of Texas (RPT) are both signatories to the Texas Nationalist Movement’s (TNM) ‘Texas First’ pledge, committing them to support a referendum on Texas becoming an independent country, according to the secessionist group.

Abraham George and D’Rinda Randall were elected to serve as the chair and vice-chair of the Texas GOP respectively at the party’s convention which took place in San Antonio between May 23 and 25.

Rising tensions between Texan authorities and the federal government have drawn attention to the state’s increasingly vocal secessionist movement, which wants the Lone Star State to become a fully independent country as it was between 1836 and 1845.

In January the Supreme Court ruled federal agents could remove razor wire placed along the Texas-Mexico border on the orders of Governor Greg Abbott in a bid to combat illegal immigration. Earlier this month Abbott instructed universities and community colleges in Texas to ignore an update to Title IX equality legislation that would ban discrimination based on gender identity.

According to the TNM both George and Randall had signed its ‘Texas First’ pledge, in which they vowed to “vote for legislation and resolutions to call for a vote on Texas reasserting its status as an independent nation in every term that I am elected until such a referendum is held.”

They also promised that “if a majority of the people of Texas vote in support of Texas reasserting its status as an independent nation, I pledge to work toward a fair and expedient separation of Texas from the federal government placing the interests of Texans first.”

In a news release welcoming George and Randall’s election the TNM said it was “proud to announce the election of two “TEXAS FIRST” pledge signers for the Chair and Vice-Chair of the Republican Party of Texas.

“The recent GOP convention, which took place in the heart of San Antonio, achieved huge successes for the organization pioneering Texas independence.”

Speaking to Newsweek Miller said: “We’ve got a team of committed and hardworking leaders and volunteers who spent countless hours connecting with other Texans and talking about the importance of simply letting Texans vote on the issue of independence. These wins belong to them.”

Newsweek contacted Abraham George and D’Rinda Randall via their respective campaign websites, outside of usual office hours. This article will be updated if any of the above decide to comment.

George’s election is a particular win for the TNM as it had a tempestuous relationship with outgoing Texas GOP chair Matt Rinaldi. In January Rinaldi rejected what the TNM said was a 139,456-strong petition calling for a vote on whether Texas should be an independent state to be included on the state GOP’s primary ballot in March. This surpassed the 97,709 signatures required to get the vote added, but was turned down by Rinaldi who said: “The vast majority of petition signatures were invalid.”

In the TNM’s most recent news release Miller said: “Last year, the RPT disenfranchised voters by neglecting the will of the people, and now we are effectively changing the party as a whole. What the political establishment once called ‘fringe’ is mainstream.

“Texans are sick and tired of broken promises from public officials, and it was only a matter of time before we saw more TEXAS FIRST candidates take office.”

On Saturday the Texas GOP also voted on a motion calling for a referendum on Texas seceding. After the votes are counted the party’s policy platform is expected to be confirmed later this week.

The motion, which Texas Republicans approved in 2022, states: “Texas retains the right to secede from the United States, and the Texas Legislature should be called upon to pass a referendum consistent thereto.”