Steve Allison

Stephen Philip "Steve" Allison
State Representative for Texas House District 121
In office January 8, 2019 – January 2025
Preceded by	Joe Straus
Born	January 4, 1947 Resident of San Antonio, Texas
Spouse(s)	Margaret "Peggy" Yochem Allison Two sons: Brian Clayton Allison Todd Lawder Allison Five grandchildren
Religion	Episcopalian

Stephen Philip Allison, known as Steve Allison (born January 4, 1947), is the Republican outgoinh state representative for Texas' House District 121, based in San Antonio. The seat was formerly held by Joe Straus, a Moderate Republican former state House Speaker. Straus endorsed Allison, his fellow Moderate Republican, in a 2018 runoff contest against the more conservative Matthew Stewart "Matt" Beebe (born November 3, 1973), a pro-life business owner and two-time former opponent of Straus.

Political activities

Candidates eliminated in the primary for House District 121 held on March 6, 2018, were Marc Whyte, a business attorney; Carlton Soules, a former member of the San Antonio City Council and an unsuccessful candidate for Bexar County judge in 2012; Charlotte Williamson, an employee of her family's petroleum and natural gas company, and attorney Adrian Spears. The San Antonio Express-News endorsed Allison for the nomination. A 1969 graduate of Texas Christian University in Fort Worth, Allison has been since December 2015 a partner in the firm Jefferson Cano Allison Barkley. From 1989 to 2015, he was a partner and senior counsel for the Haynes and Boone law firm. He served twelve years as a trustee of the Alamo Heights Independent School District. From 2010 to 2016, he was a VIA transit board member.

In the primary, Matt Beebe led the field with 4,351 votes (29.5 percent); Allison trailed with 3,884 votes (26.3 percent). Carlton Soules barely finished third with 13.2 percent of the vote. The four eliminated candidates divided the remaining but critical 44.2 percent of the ballots cast. Beebe noted that Allison opposes the failed "bathroom bill" and has hostile "views on the Second Amendment, [and an] unwillingness to enable parents to have meaningful options for their children's education, [and refuses] to pledge support for the Republican caucus choice for House Speaker." Beebe added that he finds "voters increasingly realizing Steve Allison is out of touch with their values."

Beebe favored having the Republican caucus choose the party nominee for Speaker. Allison in contrast favors opening the floor for all nominations, with 76 of the 150 members required for a simple majority to select the Speaker. Beebe noted that statewide and in the district voters in the Republican primary approved a non-binding referendum that the Republican caucus should instead submit the party's nominee for Speaker. Straus's candidate, Allison easily won the runoff over Beebe, 6,054 (57.5 percent) to 4,482 (42.5 percent). Allison's position makes it more likely that Democrats can join with two dozen Moderate Republicans to choose the Speaker.

In the November 6 general election, Allison defeated the Democrat Celina D. Montoya, 38,619 (53.2 percent) to 32,420 (44.7 percent). Though some consider him a Moderate Republican in the Straus mold, Allison's campaign website claims that he is a conservative who supports property tax and school finance reforms. Unlike Straus, Allison claims a strongly pro-life position. Regarding the dispute over the Second Amendment, Allison, unlike Beebe, supports a state law that allows persons openly carrying holster handguns to be asked to present their state-issued permits. Beebe claims that the law requiring persons to show their permits undermines the Fourth Amendment to the Constitution.

2024 primary election

Attorney Marc LaHood was nominated in the Republican primary on March 5, 2024, to succeed Representative Steve Allison. LaHood carries the endorsements of Governor Greg Abbott and U.S. Senator Ted Cruz. However opponent Steve Allison indicated in his advertising that LaHood voted for Joe Biden in 2020 and is in fact not a real conservative.

Allison was unseated by ann intraparty challenger, Marc LaHood, in the Republican primary held on March 5, 2024. A key issue dividing the two was school vouchers, with Allison in opposition and LaHood in support. LaHood, who lost the race for Bexar County district attorney in 2022 as the Republican nominee, is endorsed for the state House by Governor Greg Abbott, U.S. Senator Ted Cruz, and state Attorney General Ken Paxton. Allison had the support of moderate House Speaker Dade Phelan, who pushed for the unsuccessful impeachment of Paxton in 2023 and is considered a spokesman more inclined toward Democrats than his fellow Republicans. Phelan himself faces a runoff election in May against the conservative choice, Dave Covey.