Republican Joe Straus of San Antonio will have to fend off two Tea Party opponents this election season to win the GOP nomination for his Texas House seat, but that may make it tougher than usual for Straus to avoid a runoff election.
According to the Texas Secretary of State’s office, Straus last faced more than one Republican opponent in 2005, when he first ran for the Texas House of Representatives. This primary he’ll face two Tea Party conservatives, which may make it harder to capture more than 50 percent of the vote and the party nomination.
This week, former Bexar County school teacher Shelia Bean announced her candidacy to unseat Straus. Former-Bexar County Tea Party director Jeff Judson is also trying to defeat Straus in a district that includes a large part of Northeast San Antonio.
Both Judson and Bean’s campaign believe the race for the Republican presidential nomination may attract more grassroots Texans who want a change and that could make it more difficult for Straus to win the primary outright and avoid a runoff.
Still, with $8 million dollars in his growing campaign war chest, defeating Straus a long-time incumbent, and powerful Speaker of the House, will be difficult.
