EXCLUSIVE: East Texas Businessman to Run Against State House Speaker Dade Phelan

A businessman in Orange, Texas, will announce on Thursday that he is running for the Texas Legislature to unseat the current speaker of the house. The former Orange County Republican chairman and current member of the State Republican Executive Committee (SREC) says he will represent the conservative values abandoned by the current representative.

SREC Senate District 3 member David Covey will announce his candidacy for Texas House District 21 on Thursday. The seat is currently held by Texas House Speaker Dade Phelan.

Covey told Breitbart Texas the current representative has abandoned the conservative values of the East Texas community he represents.

“Phelan has changed over time,” Covey explained. “Over the past two sessions, he has left his conservative roots behind.”

Covey previously served as the chairman of the Orange County Republican Party before being elected to the SREC. “As a person who has represented these voters for several years, I understand their concerns about what is happening in the Texas House.”

Covey said two issues, in particular, failed in the statehouse under Phelan’s leadership. Those are property tax relief for homeowners and increased border security measures.

“People in East Texas are tired of the ever-increasing property taxes on their home and wanted something done on this,” Covey stated. “Our residents are also concerned that Governor Greg Abbott’s border security unit and other border-related bills failed in the regular session.”

“I am your choice if you believe we should eliminate property taxes, secure our borders, and protect our children,” Covey wrote in a campaign launch statement to be released on Thursday. “Please join me in sending a message to Austin that Republicans are tired of losing when we have a Republican majority in the Texas House. Stop making excuses and let’s get the job done.”

Covey told Breitbart he understands this will be a “David and Goliath” battle against the heavily financed speaker of the house. “I can overcome the money deficit by working harder in the district to deliver the conservative message to voters in HD-21.”