From the Texas Tribune: Former state Rep. Matt Rinaldi wins Texas GOP chair election

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Former state Rep. Matt Rinaldi of Irving is the next chairman of the Republican Party of Texas.

On Sunday, the State Republican Executive Committee elected Rinaldi to replace Allen West, who announced his resignation last month after a dramatic 10 months on the job and is now challenging Gov. Greg Abbott.

Rinaldi won the election on the first ballot, getting 34 votes from the 64-member SREC against three opponents. He needed 33 to win.

"We cannot lose Texas — and will not lose Texas — if we work together," Rinaldi said in his victory speech.

The runner-up was David Covey, president of Texas Republican County Chairmen’s Association. Covey, also the Orange County GOP chairman and an SREC member, got 21 votes.

Six votes went to Chad Wilbanks, a lobbyist who once served as executive director of the state party, and three votes went to Bill Burch, a party activist.

Rinaldi was one of the most conservative members of the House during his time there. He lost reelection in 2018, with his North Texas seat flipping to Democrat Julie Johnson.

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