Texas House speaker race split between hard conservative and establishment Republicans

The Texas House speaker race has turned into a battle between the hard conservative and establishment Republicans, with the top state GOP officials fighting against the latter group.

Texas state House Republicans are split over who to vote for speaker later this month, despite the caucus nominating the more conservative candidate. This has led to state Republican leaders threatening primary challenges for any party member who does not support the GOP-nominated legislator.

Texas state Rep. David Cook was voted the state GOP’s nominee for House speaker in December after current House Speaker Dade Phelan dropped out of the race over a lack of support. However, state Rep. Dustin Burrows, a close ally of Phelan, is also running for the speakership and gathering Democratic support.

A simple majority is required to elect the House speaker, which in Texas is 76 votes out of 150 members. The House speaker election will be on Jan. 14. Burrows released a list of 76 supporters, of which 38 are Republicans and 38 are Democrats. However, several legislators later asked to have their names removed from the list.

Cook has listed 56 legislators who support him in the race for House speaker. He won the Republican caucus’ nomination for House speaker 48-14. Burrows’ supporters walked out of the meeting before the vote, arguing that they were not given a fair shot at the House speaker nomination.

Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton (R) has thrown his support behind Cook, including going on a tour of the state on Monday and Tuesday with Texas GOP Chairman Abraham George to put pressure on state legislators to vote for him to be House speaker.

“This tour is about accountability,” Paxton said in a statement last week, announcing his tour that started on Monday. “Governor Abbott, Lt. Governor Dan Patrick, and the voters of Texas spoke this past year. They expect a Republican-led majority to elect a Speaker by a majority of Republican state representatives.

“Incumbents who made similar ill-fated decisions two years ago, including wrongfully attempting to impeach me, are not returning this legislative session. Take this as a warning. If you’re making deals with Democrats to block a Republican majority-elected speaker, expect a primary challenge. Texans deserve leadership that reflects their values. There is still time for these incumbents to make the right decision," Paxton said.

Paxton warned during his tour on Monday that a House speaker elected by Democrats will inhibit Republican legislation from being passed.

“If the speakership is controlled by a block of Democratic votes … then it prevents Republicans who are elected to get certain things done, from getting their priorities done and that’s been happening for the last 16 years,” Paxton said. “It’s important because if we’re going to represent our districts we need to make sure that we have our agenda front and center instead of the Democrats’ agenda.”

Cook and Burrows voted for Paxton’s impeachment in 2023, which passed the lower chamber, but the Senate acquitted the attorney general. While Cook’s supporters are more conservative than he is, according to his voting record, he has promised to stop allowing Democrats to lead House committees, provide more transparency regarding bills brought to the House floor, and focus on the priorities of the Texas GOP.

Texas Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick posted on X on Tuesday that Burrows has 31 Republicans supporting him, compared to Cook’s 57.

“Since there are 88 Republicans, a reasonable person would expect 76 Republicans could come together and select a Speaker,” Patrick wrote. However, he said that for nearly 15 years, about a dozen Republicans “undermine the Republican Party by getting all or most of the Democrats to join them to pick a Republican who the Democrats can then control.

“That is what Dustin Burrows is doing,” Patrick continued. “His Republican supporters make all kinds of excuses for why they are willing to cut this deal. The truth is it’s all just about them. They want power. They want important Chairmanships for themselves and are willing to cast aside the expectations of the Texas Republicans who voted for them.”

Patrick noted that conservative legislation has not passed due to these more moderate House Republicans.

“I do not support any Republican who is elected Speaker by a few Republicans and a majority of Democrats,” he added. “This has happened too much over the last 15 years and has killed conservative legislation time and time again. The result is that the conservative legislation that a majority of Texas voters support passes the Senate but is killed in the House.

“For the record, I don’t care who the Republican Speaker is as long as they win with a large majority of Republicans. Any Republican who wins with a majority of Democrats will be a counterfeit Speaker who will be beholden to the Democrats.”

Donald Trump, Jr., weighed in on the Texas House speaker race last month, posting on X, “It’s unbelievable what is happening in Texas right now. There is a group of so-called Republicans cutting a deal with liberal Democrats to elect a speaker instead of uniting behind the Republican nominee, [David Cook]! Unbelievable! Republicans have a mandate!”