Houston Chronicle political reporter Jeremy Wallace published a lengthy feature this week titled “Abbott's school voucher setback highlights broader dealmaking stumbles” that takes a deep look at the recent aggressive push by Gov. Greg Abbott (R) to pass a private school voucher program in Texas. Wallace highlights parallels between Abbott’s approach and that of Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds, also a Republican, who faced similar challenges in passing a private school voucher through the Iowa Legislature—until she endorsed and financially supported challengers to pro-public education Republican incumbents. Reynolds’ efforts to “remake” the Iowa Legislature by filling it with voucher proponents were successful, and in early 2023, Iowa lawmakers passed a private school voucher program. This is the exact model Gov. Greg Abbott is using in the 2024 Texas Republican Primary, endorsing challengers to House incumbents who have supported his legislative program minus the voucher issue.

Wallace also covers Abbott’s vetoes of unrelated bills passed by Republicans who voted against his priorities (both private school vouchers and his preferred approach to property tax reform) and the ill will this has generated among legislators.

Read the article in the Houston Chronicle.