Yesterday the top election official for Texas officially notified Governor Greg Abbott that he was resigning. John Scott was appointed by Abbott in October 2021 for the interim position of Secretary of State. Today, Abbott announced he was tapping State Senator Jane Nelson as the next Secretary of State.
Abbott appointed Scott after the then Secretary of State Ruth Hughs resigned last year. Because the legislative session had already ended, Scott did not need Senate approval for his appointment.
Scott was part of a legal team working for former president Donald Trump as he was contesting the results of the Pennsylvania election in 2020 (which Biden won). Just before a court hearing for the lawsuit, Scott and Bryan Hughes, who is a Republican state senator in Texas, withdrew from the legal team.
Though he has maintained that elections in Texas are safe from fraud, Scott has dabbled in conspiracy theories. He recently noted at an event with Dallas Jewish Conservatives that he saw the widely discredited movie “2000 Mules” from Dinesh DeSouza, which purports to show massive voter fraud (though without any evidence). Scott’s dabbling in conspiracy comes as Republicans in Texas and around the country have parroted false claims about the 2020 election being stolen.
Before he assumed the position, the office of the Secretary of State of Texas announced an audit of four large counties in the 2020 election: Harris, Dallas, Tarrant and Collin. Scott said those results would be released soon.
Nelson was first elected to the Texas state senate in 1992. Before that she served on the State Board of Education.
A longtime writer and journalist, Jessica was thrilled to join the Texas Signal where she could utilize her unique perspective on politics and culture. As the Features and Opinion Editor, she is responsible for coordinating editorials and segments from diverse authors. She is also the host of the podcast the Tex Mix, as well as the co-host for the weekly SignalCast. Jessica attended Harvard College, is a onetime fitness blogger, and has now transitioned to recreational runner (for which her joints are thankful).
