by Andrew Trunsky
Allen West, the former chair of the Texas Republican Party who is primarying Republican Gov. Greg Abbott of Texas, is hospitalized with COVID-19 but said Sunday that he was “doing great.”
Allen West told the Associated Press that he had “no complaints” and was “just relaxing” in a hospital in Plano, Texas. West said on Twitter that both he and his wife, Angela, were hospitalized with the virus and that they underwent monoclonal antibody infusion therapy.
West said that while his wife was released, he remained in the hospital due to COVID-related pneumonia concerns. He added that his experience made him “even more dedicated to fighting against vaccine mandates,” and that if elected governor he would “vehemently crush” anyone forcing them in Texas.
West launched his challenge against Abbott in July, shortly after he resigned from leading the state’s GOP. He served as a congressman from Florida between 2011 and 2013, though he lost his reelection bid.
West has vocally backed former President Donald Trump’s discredited claims of widespread voter fraud in the 2020 election, even suggesting that “law-abiding states” should secede and form their own union “that will abide by the constitution.”
Despite West’s bid and Texas’ Republican tilt, Trump endorsed Abbott’s reelection effort in June, making West an underdog in his attempt to unseat Abbot next year.
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Andrew Trunsky is a reporter at Daily Caller News Foundation.
Photo “Allen West” by Gage Skidmore. CC BY-SA 2.0.