Trump's outsized influence on Texas elections

Zoom in: Brandon Gill won the GOP primary to replace U.S. Rep. Michael Burgess, a Denton County Republican who's retiring after 11 terms in Congress — one of the few open seats in deeply red territory in Texas.

• Gill, the 29-year-old son-in-law of Dinesh D'Souza, built a name in conservative circles after working on the film "2000 Mules," which alleged widespread fraud in the 2020 election.
• Gill won close to 60% of the vote, defeating former Denton County Judge Scott Armey — the son of former House majority leader Dick Armey, who held that seat before Burgess.

Flashback: D'Souza's been a fixture on conservative television and radio for years, and an outspoken Trump supporter. Trump pardoned D'Souza in 2018, after D'Souza pled guilty in 2014 to a felony charge of illegally making contributions to a California Senate campaign.

Meanwhile: Former Trump spokesperson Katrina Pierson drew even with Republican incumbent state Rep. Justin Holland from Rockwall.

• Since neither candidate got 50% of the vote, the two will face each other in a May runoff.
• Yes, but: Roger Stone, another Trump advisor — who Trump also pardoned — railed online against Pierson, resorting to some very personal attacks.

Zoom out: David Covey, the Trump-endorsed challenger to Texas House speaker Dade Phelan, will also head to a runoff.

The bottom line: More than ever, Texas has become the house that Trump built.