AUSTIN, Texas (AP) - The Texas primaries brought little change to the state's political makeup, with incumbents overwhelming fending off internal challenges ahead of November's general election. The one exception was the Legislature.
The turnover in the Texas Legislature in 2013 was already going to be quite high, with 31 out of 150 lawmakers moving on. That included eight committee chairmen. But conservatives running in the primary defeated another three committee chairs who were key allies of House Speaker Joe Straus.
The Texas GOP appears to be dividing up for next year's legislative session with a Straus camp of pragmatic veterans and a group of conservative insurgents endorsed by Gov. Rick Perry.
At issue is whether lawmakers should promise not increase state spending next year as Perry has demanded with his Texas Budget Compact.
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