Texas Agriculture Commissioner Sid Miller called for the immediate resignation of Texas Republican Party Chair D’Rinda Randall following Tuesday's election.
During the election, Republicans lost every statewide race on the ballot, control of the Texas House of Representatives and their majority on the State Board of Education.
"Let's quit pretending this was just another election," Miller declared on Friday. "This was a political catastrophe. We lost the Governor's Mansion, every statewide elected executive office, and the Texas House. The voters didn't whisper their displeasure. They shouted it from the rooftops. The Republican Party leadership had been warned, and all we got from Randall was a weak-kneed statement that doesn’t accept any responsibility for Republicans’ failure," Miller said in a press release.
Miller said he repeatedly spoke with Randall about concerns he heard from farmers, ranchers and others over mounting voter anger, specifically regarding data centers and proposed 765-kV transmission lines threatening rural communities.
"I specifically urged her to encourage our Republican candidates to take these concerns seriously and address them publicly. Instead, she argued that the data center issue wasn't as important as the social issues she was focused on," Miller said.
Miller said Tuesday's results represent a breakdown between Republican leadership and the voters the party claims to represent. Miller told 25 News on Wednesday, "I think it was a zombie apocalypse. We got wiped out. It was our Little Big Horn. We, we were massacred last night."
Despite Tuesday's historic results, Miller said he believes Texas remains a conservative state.
"Texas voted blue Tuesday, but Texas is still a conservative state with conservative values," Miller said. "The people didn't suddenly abandon individual liberty, personal responsibility, limited government, local control, and protection from government overreach. They lost confidence in leaders who weren't addressing their concerns."
