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Republican Rep. Steve Allison endorses Democrat Laurel Jordan Swift

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Texas Rep. Steve Allison on primary night 2024.
Camille Phillips
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TPR
Texas Rep. Steve Allison on primary night 2024.

Steve Allison is presently the representative for Bexar County’s House District 121. The Republican won’t be on the ballot in November after he was challenged by criminal defense attorney Marc LaHood and lost.

In an interview with TPR’s "The Source" on Wednesday, Rep. Allison endorsed Democratic candidate Laurel Jordan Swift for HD 121.

“I’m seeing a lot of movement towards Laurel Jordan Swift from a lot of my contemporaries, and a lot of my neighbors, supporters, or traditional Republicans. Just a good swell," he said.

Allison said that his endorsement comes after careful examination of both candidates and their policies, namely Swift’s opposition to Governor Greg Abbott’s school voucher program.

“Any divergence from supporting education is gonna be devastating to us. And I see the private school voucher that’s being mischaracterized as school choice. It is a private school voucher program that we’ve seen around the country. And certainly, for us, I think that’d be very, very bad policy," said Allison.

Allison also endorsed Democratic Sheriff Javier Salazar who recently spoke at the Democratic National Convention. Salazar is running against Republican Nathan Buchanan.

“I just don’t see the Republican candidate as being anywhere close to that qualification. And I know there’s complaints about the sheriff gets too political at times, but as far as his duties as a sheriff and what he’s done for law enforcement and protection, I hear nothing but good reports.”

In November 2023, Rep. Steve Allison took a stand by voting against Republican Governor Greg Abbott’s proposal for state-funded vouchers for private schools, a decision that ultimately cost him his seat representing Bexar County’s House District 121.

Allison was one of 21 Republicans who joined all Democrats in voting to remove Abbott’s voucher plan from the education funding bill; the amendment passed 83-64. Following his vote, Allison reported being harassed at his home by pro-school choice activists.

Despite his conservative voting record, Allison's principled stance made him a target within his own party. The Republican establishment moved to unseat him, supporting primary challengers. Marc LaHood, a criminal defense attorney and former candidate for Bexar County district attorney, ran against Allison with backing from Abbott and the pro-voucher faction of Texas Republicans. Allison also became the focus of efforts from several PACs, financed by Pennsylvania businessman Jeff Yass, to defeat Republicans opposing the voucher plan.

Publicly, LaHood did not focus on the controversial voucher issue but instead attacked Allison on border security, blaming him for illegal immigration. LaHood’s campaign was boosted by $672,000 from Abbott during the final stretch of the primary. Texas Agriculture Commissioner Sid Miller also gave his support, appearing in a pro-LaHood ad, posing with a rifle and declaring that Allison was his "target." Meanwhile, Allison received backing from House Speaker Dade Phelan and the endorsement of the San Antonio Express-News.

In the March 2024 primary, LaHood won with 54% of the vote, while Allison garnered 34%, and a third candidate, Michael Champion, received 7%. The editorial board of the Express-News described Allison’s defeat as part of a broader purge of “traditional, pragmatic conservative Republicans” by a state party increasingly dominated by “retribution, culture warmongering, and conspiracy theories fueled by disinformation.”

At the end of his interview, Allison said he would vote for Donald Trump in the presidential election.

Guest:

Steve Allison is the current Representative for Bexar County's House District 121. He won't be on the ballot this election after losing in the Republican primary.

"The Source" is a live call-in program airing Mondays through Thursdays from 12-1 p.m. Leave a message before the program at (210) 615-8982. During the live show, call 833-877-8255, email thesource@tpr.org.

This interview will be recorded on Wednesday, October 23, 2024.

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David Martin Davies can be reached at dmdavies@tpr.org and on Twitter at @DavidMartinDavi