Shelley Luther, anti-lockdown activist and GOP candidate, said Chinese students should be banned from Texas universities
Luther became nationally known at the beginning of the pandemic in 2020 when she refused to shut down her Dallas salon in defiance of emergency orders. She was sentenced to a week in jail but was released after only a few days.
Texas Supreme Court voids orders that jailed Dallas salon owner for disregarding COVID-19 precautions
Gov. Greg Abbott heeds the call of his GOP critics in removing coronavirus restrictions
Greg Abbott has enjoyed a relatively charmed life inside his party, flush with campaign cash, high approval ratings and agenda items with broad Republican support. The coronavirus pandemic changed that, auguring the most uncomfortable stretch of intraparty dissent since Abbott took office in 2015. Then there was the election of Texas GOP Chairman Allen West, who has openly disagreed with some of Abbottโs coronavirus decisions. And in the Legislature, GOP lawmakers became increasingly willing to speak out about Abbottโs use of executive power to fight the virus. A conversation awaits in AustinWhile Abbottโs announcement Tuesday may take some intraparty heat off him, a sensitive conversation awaits him at the Legislature, where some Republicans want to rein in the governorโs emergency powers.
Special election runoff between Shelley Luther and state Rep. Drew Springer set for Dec. 19
Dallas salon owner Shelley Luther and state Rep. Drew Springer, R-Muenster. Greg Abbott announced Saturday that Dec. 19 will be the date for the special election runoff to succeed state Sen. Pat Fallon, R-Prosper. The runoff in Fallon's solidly red district pits state Rep. Drew Springer, R-Muenster, against fellow Republican Shelley Luther, the Dallas salon owner who was jailed earlier this year over her refusal to close her business due to coronavirus restrictions. Luther and Springer finished close together in the Sept. 29 special election, which included three other Republicans and a Democrat. Luther edged out Springer, 32.17% to 31.93%, ahead by 164 votes out of 68,807 total.
Republicans Shelley Luther, Drew Springer head to runoff in special election to replace state Sen. Pat Fallon
Dallas salon owner Shelley Luther and state Rep. Drew Springer, both Republicans, are headed to a runoff for a Texas Senate seat. Credit: The Texas TribuneRepublicans Shelley Luther and Drew Springer are advancing to a runoff in the special election to replace state Sen. Pat Fallon, R-Prosper, according to unofficial election returns. The two were each getting about 32% of the vote late Tuesday in the six-way special election, with 96% of polling locations reporting. Greg Abbott called the whirlwind special election for the seat a little over a month ago. Springer spent some of the closing days of the special election campaigning mostly virtually, forced to quarantine after his wife tested positive for the coronavirus.
Republican dissent over Texas Gov. Greg Abbott's pandemic response animates state Senate special election
Shelley Luther and state Rep. Drew Springer are among six candidates looking to replace state Sen. Pat Fallon, R-Prosper. The special election was triggered by Fallonโs nomination in August to replace former U.S. Rep. John Ratcliffe, R-Heath, on the November ballot now that he is director of national intelligence. Abbott has not endorsed in the special election, and a spokesperson did not respond to a request for comment on the race. Another statewide political figure who looms over the special election is Lt. Gov. Among the Republican candidates, the referendum on Abbottโs pandemic decisions is not limited to Springer and Luther.
Conservative megadonor backs Shelley Luther for Texas Senate with $1 million loan
Republican Texas Senate candidate Shelley Luther received a $1 million campaign loan from conservative megadonor Tim Dunn. Credit: The Texas TribuneSign up for The Brief, our daily newsletter that keeps readers up to speed on the most essential Texas news. The conservative megadonor Tim Dunn is backing Shelley Luther in her Texas Senate bid with a $1 million loan, a large amount for such a race. Luther's campaign confirmed the $1 million loan Friday evening, three days before a campaign finance deadline in the race. In a statement explaining his support for Luther, Dunn praised her for standing up to what he described as bipartisan government overreach in the fight against the pandemic.
Analysis: The election wont humble the coronavirus. Its the other way around.
Barbers Lynese Marchic and her son Nicholas Gasper in their Austin shop on their first day of being open after closing during the coronavirus pandemic. Unlike those politicians, the coronavirus doesnt listen to pollsters. That race wont be on the November ballot, but in a special election that would follow if Fallon is elected. And Fallon wont be the only candidate running to fill an empty congressional seat. By then, voters wont be guessing what might happen when we open schools for in-person classes or start playing football with or without fans.
Analysis: Greg Abbotts critics lose political clout as Texas COVID numbers climb
Demonstrators gather at the Texas Capitol to protest a government mandate to wearing face masks during the COVID-19 pandemic. The Texas trolls want to ignore the governors latest restrictions for wearing masks and keeping social distance and closing bars as the measures of the pandemic worsen. After the considerable hubbub that followed, Abbott removed the punishment provisions from his COVID-19 orders, effectively vindicating Luther and others who were ignoring them. The COVID-19 numbers looked better than some expected, including Abbott, who began loosening his orders after just a month. But this time, Abbott seems to be holding his ground, even with people from his own party openly defying or ignoring his COVID-19 restrictions.
Analysis: Texas Gov. Greg Abbott is lucky not to be on the 2020 ballot
Texas is experiencing rapid growth in coronavirus caseloads and hospitalizations, and Gov. Greg Abbott is suffering politically for the decisions hes made along the way. Ricardo B. Brazziell/Pool/Austin American-StatesmanEditor's note: If you'd like an email notice whenever we publish Ross Ramsey's column, click here. If Abbott were on the ballot this year, hed face real competition even in a Republican Party primary. Its too early to handicap 2022; we dont know whats going to happen in the elections four months from now.
Texas governor, attorney general call for release of Dallas salon owner jailed for keeping business open
Greg Abbott released a statement Wednesday expressing his dissatisfaction with the jailing of Dallas salon owner Shelley Luther who was also issued a citation for violating the stay-at-home orders and reopening her business Salon A la Mode. She was subsequently ordered to spend a week in jail by a Dallas Judge after continuing to operate her business, defying the Stay Home, Work Safe orders issued by Abbott. โI join the Attorney General in disagreeing with the excessive action by the Dallas Judge, putting Shelley Luther in jail for seven days. As I have made clear through prior pronouncements, jailing Texans for non-compliance with executive orders should always be the last available option,โ said Abbott. The first case confirmed in the U.S. was in mid-January and the first case confirmed in San Antonio was in mid-February.