Jill Dutton Defeats Brent Money in Texas House District 2 Special Election

The election, seen as a bellwether for the Texas GOP's future, marks a win for the party's more center-right members.

Jill Dutton, backed by House leadership and friends, beat Brent Money, backed by Greg Abbott and folks who hate House leadership, by 111 votes in the special election for the Texas House District 2 seat.
The special election was seen as a bellwether for the Texas GOP's future, marking a win for the state Republican Party's more center-right members.
Dutton's victory is seen as an embarrassing result for the many folks who tried to get Money elected, from the governor to Attorney General Ken Paxton to right-wing billionaire backers.
Dutton and Money will face off again in the state's March 5 primary, where they'll be running for the GOP nomination to serve a full term in the seat.
The special election was a proxy war between very powerful figures, with the major political difference between the two candidates being their relationships with the House leadership.