Dade Phelan Re-Elected in Close House Race

Speaker Dade Phelan/Screenshot via Texas House YouTube

Speaker Dade Phelan will be returning to the Texas House for another two years.

On Tuesday night, Phelan defeated challenger David Covey in a runoff for the House District 21 seat in Southeast Texas. Phelan won 50.72 percent of the vote over Covey’s 49.28 percent, with the candidates separated by a margin of fewer than 400 votes.

Phelan was forced into a runoff after failing to get a majority of the vote in the March Republican primary. A controversial figure, Phelan was targeted heavily by leading Republicans, as Covey won the endorsements of President Donald Trump, Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick, Agriculture Commissioner Sid Miller, and Attorney General Ken Paxton.

The Speaker’s re-election means he will be returning to the Texas House, but not necessarily as the head of the lower chamber. Several of Phelan’s top lieutenants lost their primary elections and runoffs, meaning Phelan may enter the 2025 legislative session in a weakened position and unable to win re-election as speaker.