Robert Morrow, who has been a thorn in the side of the GOP, has clinched a spot in the May 26 Republican primary runoff for the State Board of Education District 5 seat, which represents an area spanning Austin to San Antonio, according to the Associated Press.

With most polling places reporting Wednesday morning, Morrow, an anti-Trump provocateur who often posts photos of women’s breasts on social media, had 40% of votes in the Republican primary. He will face Lani Popp, a public school speech pathologist who had 34% of votes, in the Republican primary runoff. Inga Cotton, executive director of San Antonio Charter Moms, a nonprofit that provides resources to families about charter schools, had 26% of votes.

Chairman of the Travis County GOP Matt Mackowiak bristled at Morrow’s lead.

we will crush him on May 26 or I will light myself on fire

— Matt Mackowiak (@MattMackowiak) March 4, 2020

Morrow is a vocal opponent of President Donald Trump, which in part, has drawn the ire of Mackowiak and his colleagues. Party officials recently blasted Morrow for what they say is his use of vulgar, misogynist and slanderous language

Morrow embarrassed the county party in 2016 after he was elected chairman. He was removed after three months because he ran for president as an independent, which is forbidden for the party chairman to do.

Morrow, who has raised and spent no campaign money, spent most of Tuesday night reveling in his lead, peddling his beliefs that President Donald Trump is a child abuser and that President Lyndon B. Johnson was complicit in John F. Kennedy’s assassination. If elected to the board, he would work to ensure Texas students learn these fringe theories.

"I am the best candidate for the children by far. The others stay silent about a child molester in the White House. My top issue is to Imprison Trump," he said in a Tweet.

Whoever wins the November election will replace Ken Mercer, a San Antonio Republican who has served on the board since 2007. Mercer has been one of the more conservative members of the 15-member board.

Popp, who has received multiple endorsements from current GOP education board members and spent more than $80,000 in the race, said she’d work to have strong, age appropriate and scientifically accurate curriculum standards; preserve the Permanent School Fund; and represent those who have concerns with the state’s standardized testing system.

Cotton’s priorities included helping existing charter schools expand and seeing high school students more prepared for college and careers to help improve the state’s workforce. Cotton told the Statesman she does not have the same priorities as Mercer.

In the Democratic primary for District 5, Rebecca Bell-Metereau, a Texas State University professor, had 68% of votes by early Wednesday, and her opponent Letti Bresnahan, a former San Antonio area school board trustee, had 32% of votes.

Democratic Bell-Metereau, a Texas State University professor of English and film who's making her fourth run for the board, said she’d work to establish personal relationships with each member of the board; ensure curriculum standards are reviewed by subject experts and are not politically driven; and advocate for students to learn more about environmental preservation and climate change.

Bresnahan is a former school board president at San Antonio’s North East school district and a director of continuing medical education at University of Texas Health San Antonio. Bresnahan said she would like more board scrutiny of charter school applications. She said she would oppose efforts to teach creationism in biology courses and support integrating ethnic studies into all subject areas. Bresnahan also supports comprehensive sex education, including contraception use.

Texas law requires schools that offer sex education to promote abstinence as the preferred behavior for unmarried students. School districts can address contraception but can't distribute condoms, under the law.

While Bresnahan said students should start learning sex education around fourth or fifth grade, Bell-Metereau said sex education can be taught as early as prekindergarten in an age-appropriate way, so that children can learn about physical boundaries, their anatomy and how to recognize inappropriate contact by another person.

The Republican-dominated State Board of Education could see up to two-thirds of its members replaced this election cycle. It would be a seismic political shakeup for a body that often tackles divisive issues, such as sex education, evolution and racial topics.

The board is tasked with adopting curriculum for all Texas public grade schools, approving textbooks, signing off on new charter school operators and managing the $44 billion Permanent School Fund.

The board this year is expected to debate and approve curriculum changes for biology, which includes lessons about evolution, and for health education, which includes sex education, for all grade levels.

Whoever joins the board in 2021 will approve textbooks that cover those issues.