Two weeks remain in the 87th Texas Legislature, Regular Session. House committees must report out Senate Bills by Saturday officially, but the practical deadline is closer to Wednesday. The final calendar for Senate Bills eligible to be considered on second reading will be released Sunday. The Senate may begin considering bills on their first day on the Intent Calendar beginning on Friday.

AG: Land Comm. George P. Bush (R) has invited supporters to a campaign kick-off event on June 2 in Austin. Bush has been considering a primary challenge of Atty. Gen. Ken Paxton (R).

HB118: The Bexar Co. Democratic Party voted to censure Rep. Leo Pacheco (D-San Antonio) for being one of seven Democrats voting for House Bill 1927 by Rep. Matt Schaefer (R-Tyler), the “constitutional carry” bill. “We call upon all Democrats representing Bexar County in the Texas Legislature to protect and defend the lives of all Texans and to defend the principles of the Texas Democratic Party,” said the resolution censuring Pacheco. In a statement, Pacheco declined comment, citing his focus on the legislative session. He was first elected in 2018 and faced no primary challenger in 2020.

CD12: Fresh off an unsuccessful bid to become Fort Worth’s next mayor, author Chris Rector established a campaign committee for a potential challenge of U.S. Rep. Kay Granger (R-Fort Worth). Rector finished 9th in the 10-way race for mayor with 0.4% of the vote.

CD15: The American Action Network released a new Spanish-language ad criticizing U.S. Rep. Vicente Gonzalez (D-McAllen) for supporting U.S. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s (D-Calif.) “dangerous prescription drug plan.”

The $140K ad buy brings the group’s total spend in the district to $500K.

Congress: House Republicans selected U.S. Rep. Elise Stefanik (R-N.Y.) to become the new Republican Conference chair over U.S. Rep. Chip Roy (R-Austin). The vote was reportedly 134-46. In a statement, Roy congratulated Stefanik, calling her “my friend and colleague.”

©2021 Texas Election Source LLC