TYLER, TX (KLTV) -
State Representatives from East Texas are among fourteen Republican lawmakers who have written fellow State Rep. Dan Branch, asking him to withdraw from the May Republican Primary Runoff election. Branch (R-Dallas) is in the runoff for the Republican nomination for Texas Attorney General against State Senator Ken Paxton (R-McKinney).
In the letter, sent Monday, to Branch the group of representatives asks him to "respectfully consider withdrawing from the race for Texas Attorney General."
Among the fourteen representatives signing the letter included East Texas State Representatives Dan Flynn (Van), Bryan Hughes (Mineola) and Matt Schaefer (Tyler).
Branch finished Primary Night with about 33.5 percent of the vote, while Ken Paxton received about 44.4 percent of the vote. Paxton won nearly every East Texas county with the exception of Franklin, Nacogdoches, Rusk, Titus and Trinity Counties.
To read the full letter from the state representatives to Dan Branch, Click here.The letter cites Democrats in Texas mobilizing and using Battleground Texas to gain support and says the money that would be spent by the Branch Campaign does not help the party in that fight.
"Your decision to withdraw would ensure the millions of dollars you would otherwise spend on negative ads aimed at Senator Paxton can instead be focused on the Democrat ticket, which all of us are committed to defeating in the general election in November.," the letter stated.
The campaign for Dan Branch fired back at the letter on Tuesday saying they had no intention on withdrawing from the runoff.
"Dan Branch is going to be the next Attorney General and we look forward to gaining the support of all Republicans once he is the nominee," said Branch Campaign Manager Enrique Marquez.
The letter mentions Republican comptroller candidate State Rep. Harvey Hilderbran (R-Kerrville) as a "selfless example" for
his concession Friday in the runoff against State Senator Glenn Hegar (R-Katy).
The Republican nominee will face Democratic challenger Sam Houston, a Houston attorney.
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