Though more than a dozen Republican incumbents fell to more conservative challengers, the party's old guard rallied to protect the Texas House speaker, Dade Phelan, from being toppled by an activist endorsed by former President Donald J. Trump.
That victory in a runoff on Tuesday, by a margin of fewer than 400 votes out of more than 25,000 cast, staved off, at least for now, what might have been a swift transformation of the Texas House, which has long been a moderating force in state politics.
Across Texas, challengers have ousted a total of 15 Republican incumbents from the State House of Representatives in this cycle: nine fell in primaries in March, and six more in runoffs on Tuesday.
The battle between the party's hard right and more moderate factions, as seen in the efforts to retain Mr. Phelan as Texas House speaker, reflects the internal power dynamics within the Republican Party in Texas.
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