Texas independence campaigners have been celebrating after four Republican candidates who signed the “Texas First” pledge, vowing to support a referendum on Texas breaking away from the United States, won state GOP primary contests on Tuesday.
The move significantly increases the chances of a bill calling for a Texas independence referendum being tabled in the Texas Legislature.
Texan nationalism has drawn increased attention in the context of growing tensions between state and federal authorities over the past few months. The Supreme Court in January ruled federal agents could remove razor wire placed across the U.S.-Mexico border on the orders of Texas Gov. Greg Abbott. Earlier this month Abbott told Texas universities and colleges to ignore a Biden administration Title IX equality legislation update banning discrimination based on gender identity.
On Tuesday, Texas Republicans Andy Hopper, David Lowe, AJ Louderback and Lea Simmons, all of whom had signed the Texas First pledge, won their respective primary runoffs.
The Texas state flag flies in San Antonio, Texas, on March 30, 2023. Four Texas Republicans who have vowed to support a referendum on the state becoming an independent country won their primary runoff contests on Tuesday.
Mike Mulholland/GETTY
Those who sign the Texas First pledge, organized by the secessionist Texas Nationalist Movement (TNM), vow that if elected they will “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 promise 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.”
Hopper beat his Republican rival by 58 percent to 48 percent to secure the GOP candidacy for Texas’ 64th House district, which is currently under Republican control.
Lowe, Louderback and Simmons achieved similar victories in contests for the 91st, 30th and 76th districts respectively, the first two of which are currently represented by Republicans.
Speaking to Newsweek TNM president Daniel Miller said: “We are thrilled to have four more Texas First Pledge signers make it one step closer to the session of the Texas Legislature.
“In addition to the candidates who outright won their primaries in March, we’ll enter the next session with the strongest contingent that we’ve ever had of legislators committed to giving Texans a vote on independence.”
On Tuesday two Texas First pledge signatories, David Covey and Summara Kanwal, lost runoffs for the 21st and 76th districts respectively, though the latter was against fellow Texas First supporter Simmons.
Newsweek contacted the Republican Party of Texas for comment outside of usual office hours via the organization’s online media inquiry form.
In 2023, then-Republican Texas State Rep. Bryan Slaton introduced legislation calling for a referendum on whether the state “should reassert its status as an independent nation,” though this failed to get out of the State Affairs committee.
Texas nationalists are hopeful that one of the Texas First pledge signers who got through the Republican primary runoffs on Tuesday will introduce a similar bill if they win seats in November.
In another victory for secessionist campaigners Abraham George and D’rinda Randall, both of whom had signed the Texas First pledge, were elected as the Republican Party of Texas’ chair and vice-chair at its convention, which took place in San Antonio between May 23 and 25.
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Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.