Travis County GOP chair announces state party run

Travis County GOP Chair Matt Mackowiak has declared his intention to head the Republican Party of Texas. Mackowiak, who has chaired the county Republican party since 2017, is also well-known as the co-founder of Save Austin Now, a group that notably led the charge to reinstate Austin’s ban on camping for homeless people and unsuccessfully pushed a ballot proposition that would have mandated more police in Austin. He pulled no punches in last week’s statement about entering the race. “The most important election in our lifetimes is 5 months away, and due to incompetence, mismanagement, laziness, and shady associations our outgoing State Chairman and his endorsed successor Abraham George are risking President Trump’s margin in Texas, Senator Cruz’s re-election, and everything we all care about. The state party has only 5 paid staff, a Victory chair who just quit, was $500,000 short of the minimum budget for the convention which begins in six days, and couldn’t organize a two-car funeral,” he said. “Today I am announcing my candidacy for RPT Chairman, not because this will be easy, but because the task ahead is too important to leave it in the hands of children. We will make RPT great again and we will save Texas.” Mackowiak thanked and endorsed fellow contenders Dr. Dana Myers, Mike Garcia and Ben Armenta, but said that his goal is to make sure former Collin County GOP Chair Abraham George does not win the race. Weston Martinez is also in the running to be chair.