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Robert Howden, Abbott aide, to succeed Jane Nelson as Texas’ top election official
Summary by Denton News Editorial Desk By Eleanor Klibanoff The Texas Tribune , as published by Denton Record-Chronicle
· July 17, 2026
· 1 min read
Photo: Denton Record-Chronicle · view original
Robert Howden, a senior adviser to Gov. Greg Abbott, will be Texas’ interim secretary of state, Abbott announced Friday. Howden is a longtime Texas politico who worked for GOP governors going back to Bill Clements, serving as Abbott’s legislative director…
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Summary created by Denton News Editorial Desk — automated, rule-governed Byline on source page By Eleanor Klibanoff The Texas Tribune, as published by Denton Record-Chronicle Original story Read at the source Source published Jul 17, 2026 AI assistance Automated summary drawn from the source’s own published text Prepublication human review No — editorial rules, flagged-item review, and published samples
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Key points Greg Abbott, will be Texas’ interim secretary of state, Abbott announced Friday. More government Today’s briefing Local events
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What is this story about? Robert Howden, a senior adviser to Gov. Greg Abbott, will be Texas’ interim secretary of state, Abbott announced Friday. Howden is a longtime Texas politico who worked for GOP governors going back to Bill Clements, serving as Abbott’s legislative director…
When was this published? This article was first published on July 17, 2026 by Denton Record-Chronicle and curated for Denton News readers.
Who reported this story? This story was reported by By Eleanor Klibanoff The Texas Tribune at Denton Record-Chronicle. To learn more about how Denton News selects and reviews stories, see our editorial standards .
Where can I find related coverage? See more government coverage from Denton News, or browse our daily briefing and topic hubs .
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