Former Trump campaign spokeswoman Katrina Pierson (R) has defeated incumbent State Representative Justin Holland (R-TX-33) in the primary runoff for his seat, and it wasn’t necessarily close.
While less than 3,000 votes split the two candidates, State Rep. Holland, who has held the seat since 2017, only captured 43.7% of the vote, losing by nearly 13 points. No Democrat has filed to run for the seat according to Kera News, basically securing the position for Pierson.
Pierson boasts a strong list of endorsements from the state of Texas including Governor Greg Abbott (R-TX), Lieutenant Governor Dan Patrick (R-TX), Attorney General Ken Paxton (R-TX), AG Commissioner Sid Miller (R-TX), and Texas Railroad Commissioner Wayne Christian.
She also has received endorsements from former presidential candidate Vivek Ramaswamy and former Trump Administration Acting VA Secretary Peter O’Rourke.
School vouchers – a program that would grant taxpayer funds to provide for private school tuition for students that State Rep. Holland voted against) were a major concern for Gov. Abbott as he finally “now has enough votes to pass school choice.”
In four of the six races in which Gov. Abbott endorsed a pro-school voucher candidate, his candidate won in the Republican primary with Pierson being one of them.
She received a congratulatory statement from AG Paxton on social media.
Congratulations to @KatrinaPierson for DEFEATING Austin RINO Justin Holland. You have sent a strong message to Austin that if members continue to prioritize Democrats over our Conservative Agenda they will not return in 2026. pic.twitter.com/rYcOXDnSQJ
— Attorney General Ken Paxton (@KenPaxtonTX) May 29, 2024
“Congratulations to Katrina Pierson for DEFEATING Austin RINO Justin Holland. You have sent a strong message to Austin that if members continue to prioritize Democrats over our Conservative Agenda they will not return in 2026,” said the Texas Attorney General.
The former Trump spokeswoman will likely be a state representative come January.
