With less than 400 votes separating the winner from the loser, Speaker of the House and District 21 State Rep. Dade Phelan was re-elected to his seat in the May 28 Republican Primary runoff election by Southeast Texas voters. The unofficial results show Phelan received 12,813 votes to challenger David Covey's 12,447 – a 366-vote margin.
There is no Democratic Party challenger in the Nov. 5 general election, securing the seat for the Republican nominee.
Incumbent Phelan was forced into a runoff after former Orange County Republican Party chairman Covey received 46% percent of the votes against Phelan’s finish of 43% in the March 2024 Republican Primary election. A third candidate, Alicia Davis, collected 10%, pushing the seat to the May runoff.
After the runoff election winner was announced, Phelan released the following statement: “Tonight, I am immensely grateful to the voters of Southeast Texas, who have spoken loud and clear: in Southeast Texas, we set our own course – our community is not for sale, and our values are not up for auction. I owe a profound debt of gratitude to every voter and volunteer whose relentless dedication turned that vision into tonight’s resounding victory.
“This outcome would also not have been possible without the unwavering support of my family, whose strength and encouragement have been a daily source of inspiration, and the robust coalition of our local leaders, whose endorsements reiterate that the strength of local politics still prevails, and no amount of external pressure can erode a foundation built on community trust and proven results.
“With the conclusion of the runoff, my sights are now set firmly on the November election. I look forward to hitting the ground running to ensure the Texas House is best positioned for what promises to be another landmark conservative session, bolstered by as strong a Republican majority as possible.
“Thank you, House District 21, for your confidence in me – I am honored to be your advocate and look forward to earning your vote once again in November. Together, we move forward, focused, determined and stronger than ever.”
To a crowd of more than 100 campaign workers, supporters, family and friends at JW's Patio, Phelan stated: “I will be your state rep for HD 21 and I will be your Speaker for the Texas House in 2025. This was a true grassroots effort – not the fake grassroots.”
Phelan stated his opponent ran a campaign based on “lies and deceit.”
“This was a terrible, awful knockdown, drag-out,” he added. “You can now open your mailboxes again. You can watch the 6 o’clock news. It’s over. It’s done.”
The Texas Tribune attributed namecalling to Covey, the losing candidate calling Phelan an “Austin swamp creature,” who only secured re-election through the support of Democrats, which he said was a “brazen act of betrayal.”
Here is a breakdown of the unofficial results in the three counties in House District 21:
• Jefferson County — Phelan, 6,536; Covey, 3,391
• Jasper County — Covey, 3,214; Phelan, 1,271
• Orange County — Covey, 5,842; Phelan 5,006
The turnout was about 20% of the registered voters in the three counties.