Convenience Big Store: Dade Phelan survives

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Too close for comfort

Texas House Speaker Dade Phelan survived a spirited primary challenge from David Covey on Tuesday night, although the final margin was fewer than 400 votes.

The race was widely viewed as a referendum on Phelan's leadership of the House, especially over the past year. The speaker has angered far-right activists for impeaching Attorney General Ken Paxton and failing to pass private school vouchers, a priority for Gov. Greg Abbott.

"This was a terrible, awful, knock-down, drag-out," Phelan said at an election night watch party in Beaumont. He declared victory around 9:15 p.m. "You can now open your mailboxes again. You can even watch the 6 o'clock news. … But the best part is, it's all said and done, and I am your state representative."

With his Tuesday victory, Phelan avoided becoming the first sitting House speaker ousted from the Legislature in more than five decades.

Read the full dispatch from Beaumont from Hearst's Cayla Harris.

Edward McKinley, state government reporter

edward.mckinley@houstonchronicle.com

Who's up, who's down

Up: Greg Abbott.

After four candidates backed by the governor prevailed Tuesday night, there should now be enough votes in place to pass a school voucher program through the Legislature next year.

Down: Texans for Educational Freedom.

The right-wing education PAC, which cut its teeth on local school board races before trying to sway the state board further to the right, lost both of its runoffs last night. Incumbent board members Pat Hardy and Tom Maynard survived the challenges.

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