Two Republicans in a Tight Race for Local GOP Party Chair
July 13, 2020 - Bexar County
Republican showdown. Candidates Cynthia Brehm (left) and John Austin are in the final stretch of the race for Bexar County Republican Party chair. Photos: Facebook.
By Jade Esteban Estrada - Political columnist, San Antonio Sentinel
WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW:
- Candidates Cynthia Brehm and John Austin are in a runoff for Bexar County Republican Party chair
- In the March Primary, incumbent Cynthia Brehm garnered 33% of the vote and John Austin earned 31%
- Unlike nomination races, the candidate who wins the July 14 election is the new chairperson
As San Antonio Democrats prepare to elect their next leader, Bexar County Republicans will also cast their vote on Tuesday for the new or continuing chair of the local GOP party.
The candidates, incumbent Cynthia Brehm and challenger John Austin, are two individuals with two vastly different leadership styles.
On Super Tuesday, Brehm received 33% of the vote while Austin earned 31% of the final tally.
Brehm, who embraces the tagline Trump Girl, surprised voters on both sides of the aisle when she announced at a May press conference that she believed Covid-19 was a hoax created by the Democratic Party. Last month, she once again made headlines when she suggested that George Floyd’s death was staged for political reasons. After the Floyd allegation, top-level Republicans around the state, including Governor Greg Abbott, immediately called for her resignation.
Spoiler alert: She didn’t resign.
Her opponent Austin, who uses the hashtag #MakeBexarCountyRepublicanPartyGreatAgain on his campaign’s Facebook page, represents a more conservative approach to leading local Republicans. The hashtag seems to gently imply a shunning of his opponent’s views and administrative style. In fact, some Republicans have been wary of aligning themselves with the local GOP party because of Brehm’s robust statements.
RELATED: Candidates for Bexar County Democratic Party Chair Are Playing to Win
Not unlike President Donald J. Trump himself, Brehm has the ability to attract loyalists who cheer her on every step of the way, which explains her three-point lead in the March primary.
Austin, on the other hand, demonstrates a desire to make the organization great again by promoting the Republican values that some conservatives feel have been shrouded by the more sensationalist members of his party. However, in the age of Trump, it wouldn’t be surprising if Brehm’s brow-raising high notes win her yet another term.
Runoff Election Day in Bexar County is Tuesday, July 14.
Jade Esteban Estrada is a political columnist at the San Antonio Sentinel. He can be reached at jade@sasentinel.com.