Texas Tribune / Leslie Boorhem-Stephenson
Former state Rep. Matt Rinaldi spoke to Tarrant County tea celebration supporters in Grapevine for an occasion referred to as Unfold the Crimson on Oct. 17, 2018.
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The vice chair of the Texas Republican Occasion, Dana Myers, introduced Friday she was difficult the chair, Matt Rinaldi.
Myers confirmed in a textual content message that she was operating and mentioned {that a} formal announcement was forthcoming. She appeared to first announce her marketing campaign throughout a gathering of the Texas Federation of Republican Girls earlier within the day in Georgetown.
Rinaldi rapidly responded to the information of Myers’ marketing campaign.
“The Texas GOP below my management is coming off its strongest election efficiency since 2014 and has performed extra to problem the Nikki Haley wing of the celebration than ever earlier than,” Rinaldi mentioned in a publish on X, previously often known as Twitter. “There are some people who wish to celebration to revert again to being nothing greater than a cheerleading society for the elected class. The grassroots gained’t let that occur.”
Myers is a medical enterprise marketing consultant in Houston who has lengthy been concerned within the GOP. She beforehand served as vice chair of the celebration in Harris County, residence to Houston and the state’s most populous county.
Final yr, Myers joined over one-third of the celebration’s government committee members in a letter scrutinizing its ties to Defend Texas Liberty PAC, a hard-right group whose then-leader, Jonathan Stickland, hosted infamous white supremacist Nick Fuentes at his workplace constructing close to Fort Price. The Texas Tribune noticed Rinaldi coming into the constructing whereas Fuentes was inside, however he denied having any data of Fuentes being there.
Rinaldi condemned Fuentes, however questions lingered, and the letter referred to as on the state celebration to do extra to distance the celebration from the PAC. Defend Texas Liberty is among the prime funders of the Texas GOP lately.
“Jonathan Stickland has forfeited his proper to any management function in conservative politics and accordingly[,] full disassociation from DTL, together with its benefactors and the RPT[,] is the one reconcilable consequence which is now being formally referred to as upon to perform instanter,” the letter mentioned.
Requested whether or not he was operating for reelection, Rinaldi advised the Texas Tribune: “I’m at the moment centered on the GOP main. However I’m making marketing campaign appearances and can make a proper announcement after the first.”
The Texas Tribune later reported that across the time Rinaldi was being referred to as to chop ties with Defend Texas Liberty, he was additionally working as an legal professional for Farris Wilks, one of many key funders of the PAC.
Delegates to the Texas GOP conference will elect the state celebration chair once they collect in late Could in San Antonio.
Whereas the chair and vice chair are each elected on the similar time, they don’t run as a ticket and aren’t at all times political allies.
Rinaldi, a former state consultant from North Texas, was first elected as Texas GOP chair in 2021, when the State Republican Government Committee picked him to fill a emptiness. Delegates to the 2022 conference reelected him with out opposition. Myers gained a three-way race for vice chair on the similar conference.
This text initially appeared within the Texas Tribune.
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