Republican Party of Texas | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Chairman | Abraham George |
| Governor | Greg Abbott |
| Lieutenant Governor | Dan Patrick |
| House Speaker | Dustin Burrows |
| Founded | 1867 (1867) |
| Headquarters | PO Box 2206,Austin, Texas 78768 |
| Ideology | Conservatism |
| National affiliation | Republican Party |
| Colors | Red |
| State House | 88 / 150 |
| State Senate | 20 / 31 |
| Statewide Executive Offices | 9 / 9 |
| Board of Education | 10 / 15 |
| U.S. House | 25 / 38 |
| U.S. Senate | 2 / 2 |
| State Supreme Court | 9 / 9 |
| Election symbol | |
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| Website | |
| www.texasgop.org | |
TheRepublican Party of Texas (RPT) is the Texas affiliate of theRepublican Party in the United States. It is currently chaired byAbraham George, who succeededMatt Rinaldi in 2024.[1] The party is headquartered inAustin, Texas, and is legally considered apolitical action committee under Texas law. As of 2025, it is the state's ruling party, controlling all statewide elected offices, both houses of the legislature, and the majority of congressional seats.[2]
A majority of the 600 delegates to the 1867 Republican convention in Texas were Black, but white delegates ultimately controlled the party’s most important positions.[3]
The party expanded rapidly during theReconstruction era, after constitutional amendments abolished slavery and granted suffrage to Black men. Many African Americans, including educated men ofmixed race who had been free before theAmerican Civil War, joined the party that had fought for abolition. Republican leadership advocated for public education, labor rights, and opportunities for freedmen. Notable early Black leaders in the Texas GOP includedWilliam Madison McDonald of Fort Worth,Norris Wright Cuney of Galveston, andHenry Clay Ferguson.
In 1870,Edmund J. Davis was elected Governor of Texas as a Republican, but he lost reelection in 1874. Although Republicans garnered nearly one-third of the statewide vote in 1876 and gained a few legislative seats, including several held by African Americans, these advances were soon reversed.Democrats regained control and instituted measures likepoll taxes andwhite primaries that disenfranchised Black voters and marginalized the Republican Party for decades.
After the end of Reconstruction, internal divisions developed within the Texas GOP. By the early 20th century, the "Lily White" faction had pushed most African Americans out of party leadership. Laws requiring poll taxes further reduced Black voter participation—from more than 100,000 in the 1890s to just 5,000 by 1906.[4]Mexican Americans and poor whites were also affected by these policies.
Despite statewide setbacks, some German American communities in theTexas Hill Country—includingGillespie,Guadalupe, andKendall counties—remained Republican strongholds due to their Unionist and anti-slavery leanings.
From 1901 to 1954,Harry M. Wurzbach, a German Texan from the Hill Country, was the only Republican to serve in Congress from Texas. His repeated elections were notable in an otherwise one-party Democratic state.[5]
The party held its first statewide primary in 1926, drawing only 15,239 voters. By contrast, the Democratic primary that year drew more than 800,000 voters. Only two more Republican primaries occurred over the next three decades.[6]
In 1961, James A. Leonard became the first executive director of the Texas Republican Party. He was partly responsible forJohn Tower's successful campaign for the U.S. Senate, which filled the seat vacated byLyndon B. Johnson. Tower's 1961 win was the first major Republican victory in Texas since Reconstruction.[7]
In 1966, two Texas Republicans were elected to the U.S. House:George H. W. Bush andJames M. Collins. That year also saw Republicans elected to both the Texas House and Senate. By 1972, Republicans had expanded their legislative representation to 17 members in the House and 3 in the Senate.[8]
A turning point came in the 1976 presidential primary, whenRonald Reagan defeated sitting PresidentGerald Ford in Texas by a two-to-one margin. According toJames Baker, Reagan’s campaign "changed the whole shape and nature of the state."[9] Reagan energized suburban conservatives, business owners, and evangelical Christians, reshaping the party’s ideological base.
In 1978,Bill Clements narrowly won the governorship, becoming the first Republican to hold that office in Texas since Reconstruction. Reagan’s 1984 reelection campaign—coordinated with then-Vice PresidentGeorge H. W. Bush and Senate candidatePhil Gramm—further boosted the GOP’s infrastructure and outreach in Texas.[10]
Since 1994, Republicans have held every statewide elected office in Texas. The party’s dominance extends to both chambers of the legislature, as well as the judiciary and executive offices. The last time a Democratic presidential candidate carried Texas wasJimmy Carter in 1976.
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Two U.S. presidents, George H. W. Bush (41st) and his son George W. Bush (43rd), were residents of Texas.
In 2020, the Texas GOP adopted the slogan "We are the storm," a phrase also popular among followers of theQAnon conspiracy theory. Then-chairAllen West attributed the slogan to a poem of uncertain origin.[11]
In 2022, the party’s platform opposedLGBT rights, labeled homosexuality as "an abnormal lifestyle choice," and rejected efforts to validate transgender identities.[12] That year, Rep.Tony Gonzales was the only Texas Republican to vote in favor of codifying same-sex marriage rights.[citation needed]
The party continues to support strict abortion bans, rejecting exceptions for rape, incest, or life-threatening conditions.[13]
In 2024, the Texas GOP voted to restrict primary election access for censured candidates, although state law requires open primaries.[14]
Like many U.S. political parties, the Republican Party of Texas is governed by a biennial stateconvention that serves as the ultimate authority of the party.[15]
The state convention establishes party rules, adopts the party platform, and elects statewide party officers.[16] In presidential election years, the convention also selects delegates to theRepublican National Convention.
Conventions occur at the precinct, county or senatorial district, and state levels. Each level elects delegates to the next.
Held immediately after the Republican primary election, precinct conventions are open to anyone who voted in the Republican primary or signs an oath of affiliation.[17] Delegates adopt resolutions for the party platform and elect delegates to the county or senatorial district conventions.
Each county holds either a countywide convention or, if the county overlaps with multiple state senate districts, separate senatorial district conventions.[18] In 2024, Harris County held nine separate conventions for its nine senatorial districts.[19]
These conventions elect delegates to the state convention and consider platform and rules resolutions.
The biennial state convention is the final authority for the party. It adopts the platform and rules, elects statewide party officials, and selects members of the State Republican Executive Committee. In presidential years, it also selects delegates to the Republican National Convention.
No level of the Texas Republican Party conducts nominating conventions for candidates. All party nominations for public office are made through primary elections in accordance with Texas law.[20]
In June 2022, the Republican Party of Texas held its biennial state convention in Houston, drawing over 5,000 delegates and alternates. The convention generated national attention for adopting a number of controversial resolutions and platform changes.
The party barred theLog Cabin Republicans, a group that advocates for LGBT rights within the GOP, from having a booth at the event. Delegates approved a platform change stating that homosexuality is "an abnormal lifestyle choice" and opposed any recognition of transgender identity.[21]
The convention also included multiple screenings of2000 Mules, a film byDinesh D'Souza which falsely alleged widespread election fraud in the 2020 U.S. presidential election. Delegates approved a resolution declaring that PresidentJoe Biden "was not legitimately elected".[22]
Additional planks in the adopted platform included:
The convention also censured longtime U.S. SenatorJohn Cornyn for participating in bipartisan talks on gun legislation in the wake of recent mass shootings.[24]
The adopted platform was praised by former PresidentDonald Trump, who said it reflected "courage" and the will of Republican voters.
Media coverage of the platform characterized it as far-right and exclusionary.[25]The New York Times described it as "far-right" and noted its embrace of election denialism.[26]
TheHouston Chronicle emphasized that the platform serves as a "mission statement" and is not legally binding.[27]
Critics within the GOP, includingDonald Trump Jr., expressed concern over excluding the Log Cabin Republicans, framing it as contradictory to inclusive conservative values.[28]
Texas Republicans currently control all statewide elected offices, a majority in both chambers of theTexas Legislature, bothU.S. Senate seats, and a majority ofU.S. House seats from Texas.
Republicans have held both Texas seats in the U.S. Senate since1993:
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Of the 38 Texas seats in the U.S. House of Representatives, 25 are currently held by Republicans:
Republicans currently hold all nine statewide elected offices in Texas:
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Biannually, in even-numbered years, delegates at the Texas GOP State Convention elect one man and one woman from each of the 31 State Senate districts to serve a two-year term on the State Republican Executive Committee (SREC). Alongside the elected State Chair and Vice Chair, the SREC manages the party's affairs between conventions.
The party has a number of partner and auxiliary organizations,[30] including:
| Election | Gubernatorial candidate | Votes | Vote % | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990 | Clayton Williams | 1,826,431 | 46.9% | Lost N |
| 1994 | George W. Bush | 2,350,994 | 53.5% | Won Y |
| 1998 | George W. Bush | 2,550,821 | 68.2% | WonY |
| 2002 | Rick Perry | 2,632,591 | 57.8% | WonY |
| 2006 | Rick Perry | 1,716,803 | 39.0% (4-way race) | WonY |
| 2010 | Rick Perry | 2,737,481 | 54.97% | WonY |
| 2014 | Greg Abbott | 2,796,547 | 59.27% | WonY |
| 2018 | Greg Abbott | 4,656,196 | 55.81% | WonY |
| 2022 | Greg Abbott | 4,437,099 | 54.76% | WonY |
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Political parties ofTexas | ||
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| Major parties |  | |
| Ballot-qualified minor parties | ||
| Other minor parties | ||
| International | |
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| National | |
| Other | |
