HUNT COUNTY, Texas — It has been months since residents living in state House District 2 in Northeast Texas have had representation in the Texas House.
And now that Republicans Brent Money and Jill Dutton are in a runoff to replace expelled former State Rep. Bryan Slaton, residents will have to wait even longer.
Texas Gov. Greg Abbott announced that the runoff will be held on Tuesday, Jan. 30, 2024.
During the special election, Money, a Greenville attorney, received 31.75% of the vote, while Dutton, a former Van ISD school board member in Van Zandt county, gained 25.26%.
The winner will finish Slaton’s term, which runs through January 2025. That means that the moment the runoff election is held, the winner – and possibly both candidates – will have to campaign again a month later in the March 2024 primary, seeking a regular two-year term.
The HD 2 special election is considered a sneak peek at what could be a nasty and divisive GOP primary as the candidates are supported by different sides in the warring factions of the Republican Party in Texas.
Money is endorsed by Defend Texas Liberty PAC, a far-right group that came under fire after its then-President met with avowed white supremacist Nick Fuentes. This side also supported Ken Paxton during his impeachment trial and promised to primary Republicans who voted for impeachment.
Dutton is supported by allies of House Speaker Dade Phelan, who’s been trying to distance the party from Defend Texas Liberty, and who led the effort to impeach Paxton.
We invited both Money and Dutton to join us on Inside Texas Politics.
Here is where they stand on some of the major issues facing Texas and how they answered some of the questions that came up during the campaign. We start with Money because he finished first in the special election.
Abortion (neither candidate supports any exceptions)
Money: “There’s a lot of hard cases out there and we need to care for those people. But if you start with the premise that every life is created by God, then you can’t support exceptions for abortion.”
Dutton: “I’m a strong Christian, strong conservative. I love the Lord. And the Bible says that we are knitted in our mother’s womb, and I believe that with all of my heart. And so, I believe every human life is God inspired and he put that baby there for a reason. And every child matters.”
Securing the border
Money: “First, you have to have some sort of border barrier and it can be a wall, it can be, they can use technology, they can use manpower. But there has to be way where we say, hey, if you want to come into our country, here’s the door… I’m not anti-immigration. But we have to know who’s coming in.”
Dutton: “Securing the border with Mexico, it’s going to take conversations and it’s going to take relationships. But Governor Abbot is, at this time, doing absolutely everything he can by building the wall, razor wire, buoys, shipping migrants, or bussing migrants over to sanctuary cities. And I support all of that.”
Biggest difference between you and your opponent
Money: “I’m a more bold leader on those issues and willing to stick my neck out. I’m not just here to get along with everybody and enjoy being a legislator. It’s a difficult job and not one that is, it’s not the kind of job that you do just to enjoy. You’re going to make a lot of people upset no matter which side you take.”
Dutton: “I think if you look at who’s supporting each of us. The same people that put Bryan Slaton into office are the same people that are coalescing around my opponent. And to your point about school choice and ESAs, I want heavy accountability. He wants no accountability.”
Money regarding the support he’s received from Defend Texas Liberty
Money: “I had never heard of Nick Fuentes. Certainly everything I’ve learned about him since then is bad and not the kind of person that I would want to be associated or affiliated with... in this kind of campaign, you’re going to get support from all different kinds of people. And I think that their support shows that they like what I am and doesn’t necessarily mean that I’m supporting everything that they support.”
Money received $35,000 in campaign donations from Defend Texas Liberty PAC. Will he return any of it or invest it in other charitable causes, like some other politicians have, including Lieutenant Governor Dan Patrick?
“No. I’ve spent it on getting my message out.”
Dutton on her opponent describing her as liberal during the campaign
“I have been working for the past 25 years to grow the Republican party and to preserve Christian conservative values. All of my friends find it absolutely laughable and it’s just an outright lie. Looking back at the election we just ran leading up to Nov. 7, I look at the other Republican candidates, my opponents, and I’ve probably done more for the Republican party than all four of them combined.”