Texas GOP Chairman Allen West made an Independence Day announcement of his candidacy for governor, challenging the incumbent Greg Abbott, who is seeking a third term.
“It was on July 4th of 1867 that the Republican Party of Texas was founded by 150 Black men down in Houston. Pretty amazing history,” said West, 60.
He delivered a 35-minute speech about the Bible and the U.S. founding at Sojourn Church in Carrollton, before transitioning to his campaign announcement.
At the end of his remarks he read a “prophetic statement” from a fellow member of the church that said in part, “God has given you a word, he has given you a season, he has given you a time, and that season is upon you… his mandate and assignment has been placed upon you.”
West then played a seven-minute campaign video in which he compared himself to William Travis, the Texan commander at the Alamo:
West has been attending the church since November 2020, according to remarks by the church’s lead paster Chris McRae, who introduced West as a guest speaker. McRae and other members of the church then congratulated West on his decision to run and prayed over him.
The GOP chairman had previously announced his resignation from his post effective July 11, at which time the State Republican Executive Committee will meet to pick a successor.
Before heading the state GOP he led a Dallas thinktank, the National Center for Policy Analysis, which closed in 2017, and served as a citizen member of the Sunset Advisory Commission, appointed by Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick.
West is a former lieutenant colonel in the U.S. army who was fined $5,000 by the military and pushed into early retirement after an incident in which he simulated an execution of an Iraqi policeman.
He served in Congress from 2011-2012 representing a Florida district, before moving to Texas in 2014.
West’s campaign is likely to draw fierce opposition from incumbent Republicans who believe he courted too much controversy during his time at the helm of the state GOP, including by protesting Governor Abbott’s coronavirus restrictions and adopting a QAnon slogan, “We are the storm,” which he used on official GOP merchandise.
Travis County GOP Chair Matt Mackowiak has labeled West a “grifter” and “Florida man,” while Chad Wilbanks, a Lake Travis lobbyist and longtime GOP operative, repeatedly attacked West for allegedly using party resources to campaign for governor.
Abbott’s other challenger in the race is former state Senator Don Huffines of Dallas. Both Huffines and West are trying to run to Abbott’s right, attacking the “Austin swamp.”
For his part, Abbott recently made a joint appearance with Donald Trump at the U.S. border, where he announced that Texas would build its own border wall.
