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In the most concerted attack to date on Republican Texas House Speaker Dade Phelan from within the GOP House ranks, 48 representatives and nominees for House districts selected Rep. David Cook as their favored House speaker Friday. The group includes four who dropped their bids for speaker in order to consolidate support around a single candidate.
Cook, a two-term Mansfield Republican who announced his bid for speaker earlier this month, became the self-described “reform-minded” group’s consensus pick after multiple rounds of voting. When he announced his candidacy, Cook committed to appointing only Republicans to chair House committees, considered a crucial pledge to far-right GOP leaders who feel Phelan has ceded too much power to Democrats by continuing the chamber’s long-standing tradition of naming members of both parties to lead the legislative panels.
"This vote highlights the growing momentum for change within the Texas House, as members rally behind a shared vision of a decentralized leadership model that empowers all members," Cook said in a statement.
Fellow speaker challengers James Frank, Tom Oliverson, Shelby Slawson and John Smithee issued a joint statement supporting Cook following the closed-door meeting at the County Line barbecue joint in Austin.
“We have suspended our campaigns for speaker and urge all of our Republican colleagues to join us in voting for Representative Cook as the Republican nominee for speaker when the caucus meets in December,” they wrote.
Phelan, who is seeking his third term in the speaker’s office, has been an open target of Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick, the Republican Party of Texas and a small segment of his caucus after the House last year impeached Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton and failed to pass education savings accounts and other conservative priorities.
Friday’s meeting among Phelan critics was an informal vote to consolidate support into one challenger. After House members are elected or reelected in November, the Texas House Republican Caucus, chaired by Oliverson, will meet in December to formally endorse their desired candidate for speaker.
“Not only are their actions disappointing and unacceptable, they are futile, as I proudly have the clear majority votes needed to be the Speaker today, and will have the clear majority support needed to become Speaker again come January,” Phelan said in a statement Friday morning.
It will take a simple majority of the entire House, 76 votes, to be elected House speaker at the start of the legislative session in January. But the rules of the House Republican caucus instruct GOP members to vote for the group’s endorsed candidate.
To garner that endorsement, one must have support from at least three-fifths of members. Right now, there are 86 members, putting that threshold at 52. It won’t be known until after the November elections how many House members will be Republicans next year.
Friday’s vote suggests that Cook could be in reach of hitting the necessary threshold.
However, the group includes around 20 candidates who are running for House seats but do not currently serve in the chamber. Two, Steve Kinard and former Uvalde Mayor Don McLaughlin, are running in races for competitive seats currently held by Democrats.
Grumblings within the House GOP caucus exploded after 15 Republican incumbents lost their primaries this spring, eroding confidence in Phelan’s ability to lead the chamber. Feuding between Phelan and Patrick, who serves as president of the Texas Senate, could also portend another contentious session of Republican infighting, a specter some don’t want looming over the legislative session that begins in January.
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