Amarillo Republican John Smithee joins Texas House speaker race

State Rep. John Smithee, R-Amarillo, has announced he is running for speaker of the Texas House. (Credit: Bob Daemmrich for The Texas Tribune)

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State Rep. John Smithee, R-Amarillo, is the fifth person to enter the race for Texas House speaker.

Smithee, a 73-year-old attorney, is a long-serving Republican state representative from Amarillo. He is one of the most senior members of the House, serving in the Texas Legislature since 1985. He represents Texas House District 86, a solidly red area in the Texas Panhandle that includes Armstrong, Dallam, Deaf Smith, Hartley, Oldham, Parmer and Randall counties.

He declared his candidacy on Friday and will be racing against current Speaker Dade Phelan, R-Beaumont, and four other House candidates: Tom Oliverson, R-Cypress; Shelby Slawson, R-Stephenville; David Cook, R-Mansfield; and James Frank, R-Wichita Falls.

Smithee sits on the House Juvenile Justice and Family Issues and State Affairs committees.

Smitthee gained popularity for vigorously opposing Attorney General’s Ken Paxton’s 2023 impeachment and delivering a 20 minute speech, criticizing the impeachment process as opaque, rushed and unfair to the accused. Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick praised him for his speech at the close of the trial.

Out of the 85 House Republicans who voted, Smithee was one of 23 who opposed Paxton’s impeachment in the House.

The Senate ultimately acquitted Paxton of all 16 impeachment articles in the trial. The articles alleged he misused his office to help his friend and donor Nate Paul and to harass and investigate his enemies.

Smithee defeated Jamie Haynes in the 2024 Republican primary and is running uncontested in November.