At THSC, we believe that families raising their children is a God-given right and that families should be empowered to raise the next generation of leaders. The candidates that THSC endorsed hold these values as well. The need was great, and you met it with incredible primary voter turnout in 2018.

This year, THSC worked harder than ever before on the primary election so that you could vote with confidence. From establishing THSC candidate vetting committees and vetting all candidates before Christmas 2017 to the sheer number of mail pieces, calls and other forms of outreach that were performed, significant records were set this cycle to serve Texas families!

Additionally, our grassroots efforts were stronger than ever before! We referred 75 homeschoolers to THSC-endorsed campaigns for potential paid work and referred 168 volunteers. We sent the call, and you answered.

The Austin establishment and Texas House Speaker Straus’ team worked hard this cycle too. They labored around the clock to defeat pro-family candidates, even going so far as trying to recruit Texas Democrats to vote in the Republican primary just to target specific pro-family candidates.

The Battle Set in Array

In order to understand the results, it is important to know first how the fight was set up when both sides took to the political battlefield last fall. Without question, the Texas House leadership team, who has been a constant blockade to passing pro-family legislation, was playing defense.

More than two dozen pro-family candidates ran to replace establishment incumbent candidates loyal to the Texas House Speaker. By contrast, only three serious establishment candidates ran to challenge pro-family incumbents.

These numbers set the clear picture for which side was playing offense and which side was playing defense. Although the battle was hard fought across the state, the establishment team started out with far more to lose than to gain.

How Did THSC Candidates Fare?

THSC-endorsed candidates experienced critical victories during this election, and this is due in large part to your willingness to heed the call. This election cycle, three pro-family candidates defeated establishment incumbents. All pro-family incumbents defeated their liberal challengers.

In total, 75% of THSC-endorsed candidates either won or are headed into the 2018 primary runoff election in May.

Here are a few of the biggest victories for Texas families after the polls closed yesterday:

State Sen. Bob Hall

Sen. Bob Hall won his race for re-election against State Rep. Cindy Burkett in Senate District 2. Rep. Burkett authored one of the worst Child Protective Services (CPS) bills that THSC has ever seen; it would have allowed CPS to profile innocent Texas families and visit their homes to check on them. Thankfully, Hall will continue advocating for Texas families and homeschoolers in Senate District 2.

Thomas McNutt

Thomas McNutt is headed into a runoff in his election for House District 8. McNutt was in the race with two other candidates who were both endorsed by current liberal Republican Rep. Byron Cook, who announced in 2017 that he would be retiring. THSC supported McNutt in 2016 and 2018 and looks forward to supporting him in the runoff election!

State Rep. Mike Lang

State Rep. Mike Lang won his re-election campaign for House District 60. Lang is a tested and proven conservative who won the 2018 primary outright against two establishment opponents recruited by the liberal education unions. THSC fully supported Lang, and we look forward to fighting alongside him in the next Texas House legislative session.

State Rep. Kyle Biedermann

State Rep. Kyle Biedermann, a founding member of the Texas freedom caucus and a champion of freedom for Texas families also won his re-election campaign against a candidate that liberal unions recruited to run against him. Biedermann is a proven champion for family issues, and we are proud to have him continue representing House District 73.

Jonathan Boos

Homeschool graduate Jonathan Boos won the primary election for House District 113 against two other candidates. This district was previously held by the aforementioned Rep. Cindy Burkett. Now it will have a true champion for Texas families! We will be fully supporting Boos again in the November general election because he will fight for Texas homeschoolers.

Lisa Luby Ryan

Lisa Luby Ryan won her election for House District 114 outright against liberal Republican and current State Rep. Jason Villalba. Villalba supported efforts to allow for the removal of children from families who chose not to vaccinate their children and THSC worked hard to oust him. We are excited to work with Ryan after her expected victory in November!

What Now?

Now that the primary election is over, there are three things that homeschoolers must do:

  1. Pray for the new leaders that will be elected to office in Nov. 2018. Pray that they will have wisdom to represent their districts with integrity and that they will fight for families.
  2. Vote and volunteer for candidates going into a runoff election! Contact us today and we will work to connect you with a campaign in your area that needs help during the runoff. Additionally, be sure to vote for THSC-endorsed candidates if they are going into the 2018 primary runoff election on May 22.
  3. Vote in November. Most people think that Texas elections are decided by the primary, but your vote counts in November! We want to continue increasing voter turnout in the homeschool community, even in non-presidential election years.

Thank you for all that you do to support THSC! Your generous donations allowed us to have a maximum impact in one of the most successful elections in which we have ever been involved. Donate again today to expand our impact on the remaining elections. Together, we are Keeping Texas Families Free.

Primary Voter Turnout: You Made A Difference