Texans are stuck with Governor Greg Abbott indefinitely. There is no changing this until he decides to run for another office or grows bored with being governor.
Additionally, it now seems that nobody is attempting to primary Abbott except people who live in one of these:
The most recent notable challenge to the Texas governor of ten years came from the triple threat of Don Huffines, Allen West, and Chad Prather.
Now, three years later, we have a new challenger: a “doctor” who, despite living in an RV and having voted in only one election in the last ten years, thinks he can defeat the mighty Greg Abbott.
“Doc” Pete Chambers announced his run for governor of Texas recently. He leans heavily on the military veteran rhetoric, often cited by candidates and politicians alike as some sort of qualifier to be a good leader (see Dan Crenshaw).
Chambers joins a couple of other campaign-as-career candidates (all of whom seem to have endorsed each other), such as “Ava” Zolari and Alexander Duncan—both of whom have failed to reach the threshold of raising enough money to require reporting to the FEC.
Chambers does differ from these two campaign-as-career candidates, though, as during his run for governor he has raised enough money to file financial reports, a whopping $30,171.
To put that amount into perspective, we can look back at the 2022 race, which included West, Huffines, and Prather, and how much was raised and spent in those races.
Raised:
Don Huffines - $10,602,221
Allen West - $3,878,825
Chad Prather - $192,723
Total - $14,673,769
Spent:
Don Huffines - $20,165,863
Allen West - $2,383,330
Chad Prather - $164,863
Total - $22,654,056
Over $10M raised and over $20M spent and the three of these combined were not enough to even bring Governor Greg Abbott into a primary run-off election. Abbott went on to win with 66 points.
“Doc” Pete Chambers has raised $30,171.
Current Revolt had the opportunity to speak with “Doc” Pete Chambers. In a phone call, he shared stories of his military career, his plans for winning, and how his fundraising was going.
Chambers told Current Revolt that he is an osteopathic medicine doctor. Here is the AI answer for what osteopathic medicine is:
Education: Doctor of Osteopathic Medicine (DO) completes four-year undergraduate degree, four years of osteopathic medical school, and 3–7 years of residency.
Philosophy: Emphasizes holistic, patient-centered care, focusing on prevention and the body’s self-healing ability.
Osteopathic Manipulative Treatment (OMT): Uses hands-on techniques to diagnose, treat, and prevent health issues.
Scope: Fully licensed physicians who can diagnose, treat, prescribe, and perform surgeries, equivalent to MDs.
Chambers stated that in 2016, Speaker of the House Paul Ryan asked him to run but he told Ryan he wasn’t interested. Current Revolt reached out to former Speaker Paul Ryan to confirm and will update our story with his response.
On the phone, Chambers stated he ran a “feasibility” study stating his run was a “long shot” but that “wealthy Texans in the Fort Worth area” told him he had the biggest possible chance for governor with a grassroots movement.
“Eight out of ten people in clubs where it costs $20,000 a year to be a member are looking for new leadership.”
“I’ve been asked to do it (run for office) by Texans and people who flew in outside the state.” says Chambers. He tells Current Revolt that the feasibility study said he can win if he gets the populist vote.
“We are in the trajectory to win in 180 days.”
Voting Record
Chambers voting record is incredibly lacking. In the last ten years, Chambers has only voted in one Republican primary and one general election. Hardly the voting record of someone who says he has his finger on the pulse of Texans. But Chambers tells me his lack of voting record is due being deployed at the time.
“I was the only doctor for 6,000 soldiers so I couldn’t vote.”
Voting Registration
When Current Revolt spoke to Chambers his voter registration came back to One Shot Distiller & Brewery in Dripping Springs. He told Current Revolt that he knew the owner and used the distillery address to get his mail. Chambers told said he was now living at another RV park.
Chambers voting record has recently been updated and now shows that he lives at an RV Resort in Wimberley.
Financials
In funding, Chambers is heavily lacking. Months ago when Current Revolt reached out to Chambers as to why his campaign finance report was unavailable on the Texas Ethics Commission website, Chambers told us he was simply late in filing but that his campaign had “reached the level of money that Allen West raised.”
When Current Revolt told Chambers that West had raised almost $4M in donations, Chambers stepped back this claim.
“Okay, not as much as Allen West, most of our donations are in-kind to the tune of around $300-$400k.”
Recent Texas Ethics Commission filings by Chambers show he’s raised $30,171. Additionally, his report lacks any disclosure of the $300k-$400k worth of in-kind donations he told us he received. Chambers reports also lack any expenditures.
You can view the copy of his recent finance report here:
This article and it’s questions should not be confused with an outward endorsement of Governor Greg Abbott. However, it should be a warning to those willing to give their precious time and/or money to candidates that are highly unlikely to win.
Despite what Chambers lacks in fundraising, a voting record, or residency, he can tell a good story, he’s incredibly charismatic and is likable. All qualities that make up a fantastic candidate.
And in the political world that’s all you really need to get by.
Until sleepy Texas voters wake up and realize that Abbott is not who he pretends to be, he will be all but impossible to beat. I know people who think he's a wonderful conservative and get angry if you try to tell them otherwise. Lots of Texans know that Abbott is corrupt, but not enough to get him out of office.
If you have an MD, that has likely made 220k+ per year for most of his career, that's made (before expenses) 30k campaigning for Governor, how is that a grift?