North Texas Democrat joins race for powerful Texas House speaker post

  Efforts to unseat embattled Speaker Dade Phelan picked up steam Monday when the first Democrat entered the race to lead the Texas House. State Rep. Ana-Maria Ramos of Richardson, facing an uphill battle in the Republican-led House, said she would work to end the partisan bickering that has characterized state politics in recent years. Ramos also said she would seek to block what she called “an …