Ex-Texas GOP congressman Alan Steelman calls Republican Party a 'cult' days before vote

A former Republican congressman from Texas said on CNN on Friday that his party has become a "cult organized around one man." Alan Steelman made the remark four days before the Nov. 3 midterm election, according to Newsweek ¹.

Steelman said the Republican Party has grown "darker and darker" since 2016. He said he had long resisted the word cult but no longer thought the label could be avoided ¹.

On tapeCNN · Oct 28

▶1:33

I've resisted for a long time using the word cult. But we're no longer a party, really. This is a cult organized around one man.

Steelman said some of President Donald Trump's supporters call him a gift of God. He said Trump is instead a gift to Democrats and other opponents ¹. He also said the party has abandoned the principles of Abraham Lincoln, Theodore Roosevelt and Dwight Eisenhower ¹.

Who Steelman is

Steelman represented Texas's 5th Congressional District from January 1973 to January 1977, according to Wikipedia ². Newsweek says he was executive director of the Republican Party of Dallas County before his election to Congress, and that he is now a Dallas businessman ¹.

From Channel GOPTalarico asks how Ken Paxton got 15 homesJames Talarico · 153 plays · captioned, with the source named

Wikipedia says Steelman endorsed Talarico, the Democratic nominee, in 2026 ². Newsweek says he is among roughly 25 former Texas Republicans campaigning for Talarico in the Senate race ¹.

Republicans for Talarico

Talarico's campaign released a list of more than 20 Republicans who are endorsing him over Republican Ken Paxton. It includes former Reps. Steve Bartlett and Adam Kinzinger and Tom Phillips, a former chief justice of the Texas Supreme Court ¹.

Newsweek says some on the list were motivated mostly by opposition to Paxton's conduct as Texas attorney general, not by a rejection of the party ¹. Phillips wrote in an opinion piece that Paxton's public career "has been marred almost since its inception by charges of impropriety." Those are Phillips's words, not a court finding ¹.

Paxton’s longstanding reputation will embarrass Texas in ways our state simply cannot afford.

Last week, Neil Bush, the brother of former President George W. Bush, said he voted for Talarico. He said character "matters more than party affiliation" ¹.

Where the race stands

The polls are close. CNN released a poll this week showing Talarico narrowly ahead ¹. ActiVote surveyed 400 likely voters from Oct. 22 to 28 and had him ahead 52.1% to 47.9%, with a margin of error of plus or minus 4.9 points ¹.

A Fox News poll of 1,398 likely voters, taken Oct. 15 to 19, found the race tied at 49%. Texas Southern University had Talarico up 49% to 47% ¹. Texas Public Opinion Research had him ahead 51% to 47% and found him winning independents 66% to 28% ¹.

That matters because Texas Republicans have rarely lost statewide races in recent decades, and the polls show how tight this one is. Endorsements from lifelong Republicans can matter most with independents and voters who are wavering. Voters decide on Tuesday.

The Record

1. Jan 3, 1973Alan Steelman began serving Texas's 5th Congressional District as a Republican; he served until 1977 ².
2. Oct 22, 2026ActiVote began polling 400 likely Texas voters; the poll closed Oct. 28 with Talarico ahead 52.1% to 47.9% ¹.
3. Oct 30, 2026Steelman told CNN the GOP is a 'cult organized around one man' ¹.

Sources

1. Newsweek, “Longtime Texas Republican Says GOP Has Become a 'Cult'” (2026-10-31). newsweek.com/steelman-calls-gop-cult-12644044
2. Wikipedia, “Alan Steelman” (2026-10-30). en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alan_Steelman

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