Yesterday, we reported that Dade Phelan was stepping out of the Texas House Speaker race.
Full details on that here:
Now that we've finally ousted that RINO, Texas could very well get a solid, MAGA patriot House Speaker.
Wouldn't that be nice?
And, it looks like it could very well happen, with David Cook winning nomination today, supported by 56 Republicans.
Check it out:
BREAKING: David Cook just won the nomination to become the Republican nominee for Texas House Speaker
Uniparty Republicans threw a tantrum and left the meeting because their puppet didn't get nominated.
David Cook is a patriot and must be the Speaker.
pic.twitter.com/N15nKeA2kT— George (@BehizyTweets) December 7, 2024
The Republican Caucus Speaker nominee David Cook Announces Support of 56 Republican Colleagues in Bid for Texas House Speakership#txlege pic.twitter.com/r0QnRnwptP
— David Cook (@DavidCookTexas) December 8, 2024
However, the race isn't over yet.
State Rep. Dustin Burrows, who stepped over the aisle to rally Democrats behind him, is claiming that he already has enough votes to be the victor.
See here:
Despite state rep. David Cook winning the TX House GOP caucus vote, state rep. Dustin Burrows is refusing to respect the outcome. He has reached out to get Democratic support for his Speaker race and is now saying that the Speaker race is over. #txlege pic.twitter.com/EBWpMljeM2
— Carlos Turcios (@Carlos__Turcios) December 8, 2024
The Dallas Morning News has more information on the battle for speakership in Texas:
It took three rounds of voting, but two-term Rep. David Cook emerged Saturday as the choice of most House Republicans for speaker when the Texas Legislature convenes in January.
It may not be enough.
Shortly after the closed-door meeting at the Capitol ended with Cook’s selection, his opponent — Rep. Dustin Burrows of Lubbock — announced that with support from Democrats, he had the votes needed to become speaker.
“I have secured the votes of enough of my colleagues,” Burrows said. “It is bipartisan.”
ADVERTISEMENTBurrows declined to answer questions from reporters but later released a list of 76 supporters with 38 Republicans and 38 Democrats.
All 150 representatives will select a speaker as one of the first orders of business when the Legislature’s regular session begins Jan. 14. It takes a majority, or 76 votes, to be chosen as House leader.
Speaking after the meeting, Cook acknowledged the race for the gavel is not over.
“I’ll continue working between now and Jan. 14 to earn [the vote] of every member of the Texas Republican caucus — as well as any Democrat,” Cook said.
Rep. Nate Schatzline, a Cook supporter, called Burrows’ announcement a declaration of war on the state Republican Party and a betrayal of Texas “for power.”
”Ask your rep where they stand,” he said on social media.
The Texas Republican Party’s executive committee responded with a resolution urging House Republicans to unite behind Cook and calling on Burrows to end his campaign for speaker.
The resolution also condemned “any effort by Republican Representatives to ally with Democrats to elect a Speaker.”
ADVERTISEMENTAll 88 House Republicans, including incumbents and incoming freshmen, participated in Saturday’s meeting, which was called to choose a consensus GOP candidate for speaker, a powerful position long coveted by the party’s right wing.
The secret-ballot votes came a little more than 24 hours after Speaker Dade Phelan, R-Beaumont, announced he would not seek a third term leading the House.
Fox 7 Austin added:
The Texas House of Representatives is one step closer to having a new speaker, just one day after Dade Phelan announced he was dropping out of the race.
After three rounds of voting, Texas House Republicans have put forth David Cook, who currently serves as state representative for District 96, which covers Mansfield and part of Tarrant County.
The House Republican Caucus said in a press release that Cook was selected by a super-majority of the 62 members who voted...
Cook is not the only one in the race.
In a press conference Saturday afternoon, state Rep. Dustin Burrows said he has enough votes to claim the Speakership, despite his loss in a key GOP caucus vote.
Burrows says he has secured at least 76 bipartisan votes supporting his candidacy. A candidate needs 76 votes in the House to become speaker.
"Ilove this institution. I love the House. It has given me many, many opportunities and chances to do great things in this House, has done great, great things together. It's given me first chances and second chances, and I owe it," said Burrows.
In case you were wondering, here are the names who did not vote for David Cook:
This is highly important. Current Speaker Dade Phelan impeached Ken Paxton and prevented school choice from passing. Phelan dropped out of the race because he would've lost embarrassingly.
These are the 26 RepublicanState Reps that are plotting to sell Texas to Democrats in…
— George (@BehizyTweets) December 7, 2024
These are the 26 Republican members of the #TxLege House who skipped the third vote for GOP nominee. It is assumed they are the ones cutting the deal with the Democrats to block the @TXGOPCaucus nominee.
Keith Bell
Greg Bonnen
Brad Buckley
Dustin Burrows
Angie Chen Button
Gio…— Michael Quinn Sullivan 🇺🇸 (@MQSullivan) December 7, 2024
If you live in Texas, it might be time to pay your representative a phone call or give them a shout out on social media!
Join the conversation!
Please share your thoughts about this article below. We value your opinions, and would love to see you add to the discussion!