I’m used to receiving requests from local marketing agencies, from across the country and even overseas, but a recent text and call from an Austin insider interrupted my binge watching vacation of Hercule Poirot, and sparked my mind to attention. My recent columns on endorsements and their irrelevance in regards to promoting politicians, may have furrowed some eyebrows, and raised questions amongst others. I had been critical of Governor Greg Abbott, more as a shot across the bow, in his questionable endorsements of Republicans who voted with Democrats to achieve power over their fellow Republicans of a MAGA nature in recent legislative sessions. Thus, evidently, some Abbott insiders started asking questions, and one gubernatorial insider who meets with the governor regularly actually reached out to talk. So I listened, and asked questions. In my conversation with the advisor, it was explained to me that the Governor had to make a deal with ‘The Devil’ to get school choice, or the Texas Education Freedom Accounts (TEFA), passed in 2025. The 88th Legislature in 2023 under Republican Speaker Dade Phelan, elected with Democrat support achieving power over Conservative Republicans, refused School Choice, and he barely won his 2024 primary. Montgomery County’s own HD16 State Representative to the Texas Legislature, Will Metcalf, voted for Phelan along with Democrats, cheating true Conservative Republican Steve Toth in HD15, denying his constituents from proper representation despite having a GOP majority of state representatives in Austin. Toth was handcuffed since Phelan. During the 89th Legislature in 2025, Will Metcalf jumped to his feet high-fiving Dustin Burrows as the betrayal of 36 Republicans plus 49 Democrats gave Burrows the win over True Conservative State Representative David Cook for the Speaker of the Texas House of Representatives.
Few Metcalf supporters know of his actions, and if they do, they are willfully blind to his offenses that should enrage sensible, or Conservative Republican voters. Now … if I had worked with the Soviets during my time in East Berlin, prior to the Fall of the Wall, no one would respect me. I for sure wouldn’t have respected myself, and probably would have off’d myself long ago. No one is gonna call me Benedict Arnold in service to My Country or loyalty to The GOP. But to go against your own people, openly, and expect them to laud you, like with what our St. Rep did, working with Democrats who have no love for Texas, much less America. I can’t stand by and let that happen, and if people are upset with me, then sobeit. I remove negative influences in my life. I cut the cancer, and if it costs friendships, then it’s ‘see yah.’ No skin off my nose.
I’m reminded of Mark Twain’s quote, “Suppose you were an idiot. And suppose you were the HD 16 St. Rep. But I repeat myself.” Of course I jest, my cousin of 10 times removed actually wrote “a member of Congress.” Now serving in politics is necessary, and rarely is one seen as a gentleman farmer serving a few terms before going back to his fields. About the only one I can recall is Morgan Luttrell, who’d probably take combat zone service over congress any day of the week, since there is only so much sausage making a sensible person can stand in Washington D.C.
The natural progression for Metcalf would have been to run for Senate District 4 when Senator, now Texas Tech Chancellor Brandon Creighton, took his new job. But that chance was quashed, and Brett Ligon trounced. You see, the Montgomery County Republican Party Executive Committee formally censured Metcalf last year “for abandoning the House Republican Caucus and colluding with Democrats to elect Dustin Burrows as Speaker instead of supporting the caucus nominee, David Cook.” The County Executive Committee even warned Metcalf that voting with Burrows and the Democrats would exact a censure vote, but Metcalf did it anyway. That realization shows that Will had a plan. And when I asked Metcalf last year, when it was apparent that Creighton was the finalist for the Texas Tech chancellorship, when would he announce for SD4? He refused to answer.
Of course the censure vote had taken place months earlier, and with the knowledge that 95% of incumbents win reelection, he had enough fuel for one more run for HD16. The gamble may well pay off, but the sting of being disciplined and embarrassed by the Republican Executive Committee in Montgomery County isn’t going to stop him. And his endorsements from respected politicians in Montgomery County, bring to mind that Twain probably meant ‘crooked politician,’ instead of Congress. Metcalf received endorsements from numerous politicians in the area, whose dignity, or Conservatism, if they even are; should be examined under a microscope. MAGA candidates have enough consideration for themselves and know that character counts, so you don’t see them giving Metcalf the nod. Judge Wayne Mack for sure will never endorse Will, and the judge’s character could be the deciding factor in his race for Montgomery County Judge against Mark Keough. That plus his urge to stay away from as many cameras as possible.
I wasn’t surprised that an Abbott insider made contact with me. My column about his Metcalf endorsement, meant more as a nudge to reengage him to common sense, and did affirm my initial conclusion that the nod had to be involved because of the school choice issue, which Democrats would never knowingly support unless their backs were scratched.
And the Democrats did get their backs massaged to the tune of $3.6 million in taxpayer funds to hire additional staff, as well as parliamentarian positions, subcommittee chairmanships, a Democrat Speaker Pro Tem, the ability to write Texas House Rules, and the ability to break quorum. So truly, what 36 Republicans did in voting with 49 Democrats that gave Burrows the speakership, selling out the Conservatives of the Republican caucus in Texas House is a double-cross, and some of the 36
Republicans are gonna be voted out of office for it.
In my discussion with the advisor I was given an explanation of Governor Abbott’s and President Trump’s endorsements, and it basically boils down to the school choice deal. “I have to be a man of my word,” which was a direct quote of Abbott in reference to the endorsement, said the Insider. Dustin Burrows, Dade Phelan, and Will Metcalf, he said, went to the governor with the deal, ‘School Vouchers for Abbott’s endorsement,’ and that’s how it played out. The Insider playfully called Burrows, Phelan, and Metcalf, as the leaders, or the ‘Three Musketeers’ of the gang, promising GOP chairmanships for those who voted with them to give Burrows the House Speaker position, while the Democrats who supported the musketeers, got vice chairs and subcommittee chairmanships. This has been going on for years in the House, he said.
The Insider said Abbott didn’t appreciate it, because “the House is turning blue,” and he didn’t like anything Burrows and the musketeers were doing, but the governor had to be “a person of his word,” and no further backing is planned. In fact Governor Abbott campaigned for Phelan’s opponent in the 2024 primary, which forced the Republican Phelan to ask for Democrat crossover votes, just to win his race against Orange County GOP Chair David Covey by 300 votes. The governor does not like Will Metcalf’s use of Dade Phelan’s playbook, and loathes him for it, relayed the Insider. Of course Abbott used stronger words, but there’s no beating around the bush that The Gov disliked what Metcalf did, and was frustrated that Will is doing well in his campaign. A few of Burrow’s gang from 2025 faced a censure from the Texas State Republican Executive Committee, like Texas Reps. Stan Lambert of Abilene, Angelia Orr of Itasca, Jared Patterson of Frisco, Gary VanDeaver of New Boston and former speaker Dade Phelan; while Texas House Speaker Dustin Burrows escaped censure. Phelan is not running in 2026, as well as VanDeaver and Lambert, and many of the GOP 36 do face primary challengers, including Will Metcalf, who faced no censure attempt at the state level.
Governor Abbott sees that Burrows and Metcalf, now the Two Musketters, may try to do the same playbook as before, intending to vote with Democrats along with Burrow’s gang of Republicans in 2027, and it’s unknown if they plan to go back to Abbott like they did in 2025. The face of the Democrat party is not friendly with their violent supporters trying to run over or assassinate ICE and Border Patrol agents doing their lawful duty, not to mention one-party Democrat states are killing their own economies with unfriendly business legislation and overburdening regulations on businesses and individuals. Does any Republican, even the moderates, want to be associated with that?
Another Abbott insider, a River Oaks guy, didn’t like what the musketeers were doing either, and was privy to the trade-off, that school choice was going to be brought forward with the deal that Governor Abbott endorse Burrows and Metcalf for the 2026 Primary Election. And that included the Trump endorsement as well, since anyone who supported school choice would be given that nod.
“The Speaker of the House was killing all of the good conservative bills,” he said of Burrows. Which meant that anything The Woodlands’ Steve Toth submitted, HD 15’s State Representative, was dead on arrival. “So if the governor wanted something on the agenda, that’s when he had to play ball with Burrows.”
In reference to the plan mentioned before, the Austin Insider reckons that Will’s time as the local state representative are in their waning days.
“I believe Metcalf is done in Montgomery County,” he said. ”Maybe not in this primary, 2028 for sure. There’s not enough time for everybody in this county to know that he really is a Democrat that’s been running as a Republican.”
He noted that Metcalf’s Transparency USA Financial Summary indicates that the ‘Dustin Burrows Campaign’ is Will’s second highest Top Contributor, having contributed $35,000, and that his District Director and Deputy Chief of Staff was in for $30,000. Burrows also bought Montgomery County’s HD 3’s Cecil Bell for $25,000, who was also censured with Metcalf last year.
“And the bills Metcalf claims he authored, he didn’t author any of them,” said the Austin Insider. “He got them assigned by Dustin, so they weren’t even his bills.”
The Insider knows that Metcalf is gonna outspend his primary opponent Jon Bouche, so his HD 16 goal and objective is 2028. And if he were a betting man, he’d put his money on Will Metcalf being appointed to one of the new commissions later this year, or in 2027, that were created in 2025. They are supposed to be Speaker appointed seats pertaining to the energy grid and nuclear energy.
It gives me no pleasure in writing this piece. All I’m interested in … is The Truth.
I’m reminded of a Metcalf supporter, a banker and person of the cloth if I heard right. I was told versions of the truth, in which they said, “There’s your version, there’s my version, and then there is God’s version.” Later that night I jokingly blasphemed to a friend, “What if I were God?” lol. I’m not the one voting with a bunch of abortion lovers for the achievement of power over people who value fetal life.
I loathe being lied to. I don’t value image over substance. And it’s very easy to verify the truths being discussed. Do the right thing and you won’t draw my ire. But when it comes to voting in the upcoming primaries, do your own due diligence, and vote your conscience. Vote for Truth!
Ruben can be reached at: ruben@montgomerycountynews.net