GOP’s Jake Ellzey wins US House seat over Trump-backed rival

AUSTIN, Texas (AP) — Republican Jake Ellzey of Texas won a U.S. House spot connected Tuesday nighttime implicit a rival backed by Donald Trump, dealing the erstwhile president a decision successful a trial of his endorsement powerfulness since leaving office.

Ellzey’s come-from-behind triumph implicit Republican Susan Wright, the widow of the precocious Rep. Ron Wright, successful a peculiar legislature predetermination runoff adjacent Dallas is apt to beryllium celebrated by Trump antagonists who have warned against his continued hold on the GOP. Trump backed Wright from the commencement and had made 1 past effort to springiness her a boost with a telephone rally Monday night.

Ellzey was carrying much than 53% of the ballot successful Texas’ 6th Congressional District with results from astir each precincts reported.

“One of things that we’ve seen from this run is simply a affirmative outlook, a Reagan Republican outlook, for the aboriginal of our state is what the radical of the 6th District truly really want,” Ellzey said to supporters pursuing his victory.

Ellzey is simply a Republican authorities legislator who finished a 2nd to Wright successful May, and who lone narrowly made the runoff implicit a Democrat. The spot opened up pursuing the decease of Ron Wright, who successful February became the archetypal subordinate of Congress to die after being diagnosed with COVID-19.

Far from moving connected an anti-Trump platform, Ellzey did not effort distancing himself from the twice-impeached erstwhile president. He alternatively sought to flooded the deficiency of Trump’s backing by raising much wealth and showing disconnected different endorsements, including the enactment of erstwhile Texas Gov. Rick Perry.

Trump had endorsed Susan Wright aboriginal successful the peculiar predetermination and recorded a robocall for her precocious successful the runoff. Make America Great Action, a governmental enactment committee chaired by erstwhile Trump run manager Corey Lewandowski, besides made a $100,000 advertisement bargain implicit the weekend.

But the result whitethorn amusement the limits of his power with voters. Republicans person continued making loyalty to Trump paramount since his decision successful November, adjacent arsenic Trump continues to falsely and baselessly asseverate that the predetermination was stolen.

The North Texas territory won by Ellzey — who narrowly mislaid the GOP information for the spot successful 2018 — has agelong been Republican territory. But Trump’s enactment successful the territory had besides plummeted: aft winning it by double-digits successful 2016, helium carried it by conscionable 3 percent points past year, reflecting the inclination of Texas’ booming suburbs shifting to purple and, successful immoderate places, outright blue.

Ron Wright, who was 67 and had lung cancer, was conscionable weeks into his 2nd word erstwhile helium died. Susan Wright had besides been diagnosed with COVID-19 and astatine 1 constituent was hospitalized with her husband.