Thousands gather for GOP convention amid party divisions

SAN ANTONIO (Nexstar) -- More than 6,700 of Texas' most active Republicans are gathered in San Antonio for the Republican Party of Texas' state convention. On the to-do list: establish the official party platform, elect a new chair in a hotly-contested race and organize for the general election.

Abolishing property taxes, establishing a state border force, preserving the ban on gambling and funding private school for families are among the top priorities approved by delegates.

Many delegates are also pushing to close the party primary -- meaning, allowing only registered Republicans to vote in primary elections. Today, any voter can choose to vote in either the Republican or Democratic primary. Some activists worry that allows too many party crossovers.

"We have too many Democrats meddling in our primaries," GOP delegate Brady Gray said. "I come from a very, very red county, and in my county, if Democrats don't like the more conservative candidate, they will cross the line and vote for the more establishment candidate. And so I think it's extremely important that we close our primaries."

Those terms — "conservative" and "establishment" — embody the divisions inside the Texas Republican Party. The convention comes at a time when the party is reckoning with a rightward shift -- with the old guard of Bush-era Republicans trying to fend off a challenge from Paxton and Trump-aligned conservatives.

"We need somebody that can unite our party," Agriculture Commissioner Sid Miller said.

That infighting will reach a head this Tuesday in the primary runoff election. House Speaker Dade Phelan is fighting for political survival in his southeast Texas district after drawing the ire of conservatives for impeaching Attorney General Ken Paxton and failing to pass a "school choice" program. He is one of the only incumbent speakers to face a runoff in Texas history.

If Phelan loses to conservative challenger David Covey, it will send an earthquake through the Texas Republican Party and shockwaves through the Texas House. Covey and others in his faction pledge to further marginalize Democrats, ending their chairmanships and changing House rules to expedite conservative priorities.

"I'm glad our party censured Dade Phelan. It is time that we hold him accountable," said Abraham George, the frontrunner for the next party chair.

The Republican convention runs through Saturday, May 25. The Texas Democratic Party will host its own convention in El Paso on June 6-8.