Breckenridge Texan

Texas oligarchy uses the wrong criteria for choosing leaders

Editor’s Note: This column originally appeared in The Dallas Morning News, where Glenn Rogers is a contributing columnist.

By Glenn Rogers 

The U.S. Senate race between incumbent John Cornyn and Attorney General Ken Paxton was officially launched on April 8. Undoubtedly this will be one of the most contentious and expensive primary races in Texas history, even in a state known for knock-down, drag-out, low-bar politics.

Right off the bat, Cornyn called Paxton a con man and a fraud. There will be plenty of material for Cornyn‘s team to work with in future attacks.

Paxton has repeatedly criticized Cornyn, branding him a RINO — Republican In Name Only. This offensive moniker was used by Paxton ostensibly for some of the votes Cornyn has taken in the Senate and what Paxton views as insufficient support for President Donald Trump. Cornyn’s bipartisan legislation on gun safety following the 2022 Uvalde school shooting and his support for additional U.S. aid to Ukraine have drawn vocal criticism from Paxton.

Still, the Paxton RINO accusation is interesting, particularly given Cornyn’s longtime conservative voting record. If John Cornyn is a RINO, so are most Texas Republicans.

Taxonomy of a RINO

The RINO label is one of those ill-defined terms that can vary greatly from Republican to Republican. But it’s vitally important because, apparently, RINOs should be hunted down.

During the 2024 Republican primary, Texas Agriculture Commissioner Sid Miller announced he was going RINO hunting and encouraged others to join his expedition. He launched a series of ads featuring himself (of course) with a rifle across his chest and his characteristic coprophagous grin. The cartoonish ad campaign invoked images of Yosemite Sam, one of my all-time favorite cartoon characters.

Miller’s lengthy list of RINO state representatives almost exclusively included those who voted in favor of the Paxton impeachment trial or voted against Gov. Greg Abbott’s voucher entitlement program. RINOs included such obvious liberals as Reps. Briscoe Cain of Deer Park and David Spiller of Jacksboro, Speaker Dustin Burrows and former Speaker Dade Phelan.

Yosemite Sid’s political stint as Texas Commissioner of Agriculture and self-appointed RINO hunter has been heavily funded by conservative megadonors Tim Dunn and Farris Wilks and their allied organizations. Lack of fealty to those donors may be the most accurate definition of a RINO.

Texas primary races have gotten exponentially more expensive each cycle. The cash flow from Dunn and Wilks effectively controls the narrative in these campaigns. As a result, what was considered far-right fringe politics a few years ago is now the status quo. For all practical purposes, true representative government is dead in Texas. Kissing the ring of the radical billionaire Dominionists who control this state is the prerequisite for survival.

State Rep. Brian Harrison of Midlothian, ubiquitous media grandstander, summarized the narrative best in a March 23 Facebook post: “Texas doesn’t have a Democrat problem … we have a RINO problem!”

It seems the vague acronym RINO has been thoroughly weaponized. And it works because successful political candidates appeal to the smallest, most extreme segment of their party.

Primary targets

Dismal turnouts in primary elections have become the norm in Texas, especially in midterm elections. The 2022 cycle exceeded the previous six midterm elections but was still lower than 18%.

These low turnout affairs favor more extremist candidates because moderate voters wait for the general election. Based on constituents I’ve talked to, a growing number of voters stay at home to avoid poll harassment and the ugliness of modern campaigning. Many say they just cannot figure out who is telling the truth and who is lying. The countless mailers funded by Dunn and Wilks groups that mischaracterize and demean sitting legislators are a primary cause of this confusion.

But primary voters are enthusiastic RINO hunters. To them, a candidate who is untruthful and corrupt is OK, as long as he or she is not a RINO. That’s good news for Paxton. A judge recently awarded $6.6 million to four former senior Paxton aides for improper dismissal after reporting him to the FBI. The judge stated that the plaintiffs had proven by a “preponderance of the evidence” that Paxton’s office had violated the Texas Whistleblower Act.

Yet, the elusive AG has avoided a deposition or answering questions about any of the 20 articles of impeachment brought before the Texas House. Paxton’s trial in the Senate was political theater with a political judge, Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick, whose pockets were bulging with $3 million from Paxton‘s backers. (In response to outrage over that obvious conflict of interest and the fact that the PAC was connected with an avowed antisemite, Patrick later promised to use the money to buy Israeli war bonds.)

But, at least to my knowledge, Paxton has not been called a RINO. And that’s what really matters.

At-home RINO test

Through my experiences in campaigning and serving in an elected office, I have created an exhaustive list of questions to ultimately define whether or not one fits the RINO moniker. Due to space restrictions, I have included only a partial list of the qualifying questions for RINO classification. So, readers (Republicans only), please get out pen and paper to answer the following questions to determine if you (yes YOU!) might be a RINO:

1. Do you support public education?
2. Did you vote for Trump, but do not believe he won in 2020?
3. Have you read the Texas Republican Party platform and support over 95%, but not 100%?
4. Did you stay home on Jan. 6, 2021?
5. Are you friends with a Democrat?
6. Do you attend a Methodist church?
7. Do you believe the Republican Party should focus more on defeating Democrats instead of other Republicans?
8. Do you believe in positive, incremental change?
9. Did you support Paxton‘s impeachment trial?
10. Do you believe in vaccinating for measles?
11. Have you ever voted against Gov. Abbott’s pet project?
12. Do you believe extremism on the right is as dangerous as extremism on the left?
13. Do you oppose TEXIT?
14. Have you ever missed a day of trolling fellow Republicans deemed “not conservative enough” on social media?
15. Are you anyone other than Rep. Brian Harrison?

If you answer yes to even one of these questions, you’re a RINO, just like John Cornyn.

In 2026, the most important choice for Texas Republican primary voters will not be between John Cornyn and Ken Paxton. It will be over what criteria is used to evaluate those two candidates. Will Republicans vote for the candidate who will best represent the citizens of Texas and is least corrupted by oligarchal control? Or will Republicans vote for the candidate who is not a RINO?

Sleep well, Texas. Your future is in the hands of the 20% of Republican voters who are afraid of Sid Miller’s RINO gun.

Glenn Rogers is a rancher and veterinarian in Palo Pinto County. He served in the Texas House of Representatives from 2021 to 2025, representing Stephens County. He is a Dallas Morning News contributing columnist.