Allen West, the lightning rod former Florida congressman and past Texas GOP chair, is throwing his hat into the ring to take over the reins of the Dallas County Republican Party. Stirring the political pot, West has filed to challenge current chair Jennifer Stoddard-Hajdu in the upcoming March 5th brawl for party leadership, per The Dallas Morning News.
Having made his mark—or, some might argue, his scar—on the Texas political landscape with an unsuccessful gubernatorial primary run in 2022, West is no stranger to controversy or the GOP spotlight. The former congressman helmed the Texas GOP from mid-2020 to mid-2021 before running against Governor Greg Abbott in a primary that failed to garner enough support, according to WBAP.
The endorsement contest got a quick shakeup when Lauren Davis, previously poised to challenge Stoddard-Hajdu herself, dropped out, citing family concerns, and threw her support behind West. “Stepped up” to the challenge, Davis believes West is the man for the job, stating, “I’m excited.” She plans to hit the ground running to support West's chairmanship bid, per The Dallas Morning News.
Meanwhile, incumbent Stoddard-Hajdu isn't backing down easily, touting her record of having financially stabilized the party as a banner to rally around. She expressed her bemusement at West's bid, noting that her attempts at dialogue fell on deaf ears. “I’m not quite sure why Mr. West wants to run. I reached out to him, trying to engage the conversation to find out what the concerns were, but he wouldn’t even talk to me,” Stoddard-Hajdu expressed. She took a critical stance on West's previous leadership record, claiming he left the state party "completely divided," as quoted by The Dallas Morning News.
