Huffines Wins Election to Chair Struggling Dallas County GOP

Businessman Phillip Huffines has easily won election to chair the ailing Dallas County GOP, just less than two weeks after its former leader abruptly resigned.

Huffines, the twin brother of state Sen. Don Huffines, secured the support of 120 precinct chairs at a meeting Monday night, well over the majority he needed to claim victory. Huffines' two opponents, former party vice chair Elizabeth Bingham and longtime activist Davin Bernstein, got 26 and 12 votes, respectively. d

The election was triggered Aug. 2, when Mark Montgomery announced he was stepping down after less than two months at the helm of the GOP in Texas' second most populous county. Montgomery, who unseated incumbent Wade Emmert in a fluke election earlier this year, left the party virtually broke with just over three months until Election Day. 

All three candidates had pitched themselves as the best bet to quickly unite the party and turn it around in time for November. A majority of state representatives from the area had rallied around Bingham, while Huffines drew more attention to his support from precinct chairs. On Thursday, his campaign announced it had the votes to win. 

Huffines was immediately sworn in after the vote Monday night. He wrote on Twitter that as chairman, he "will make sure we unite, fundraise and defeat the Democrats."