“There’s a lot of uncertainty,” one representative said.
AUSTIN, Texas — he Texas State Legislature kicks off its new session on Tuesday but who will lead the House remains uncertain.
“This is the most contentious fight for speaker that we’ve seen in a public setting in a very, very long time,” KHOU 11 Political Analyst Brandon Rottinghaus said in an interview.
The position is key to determining what gets done this session.
“The Speaker is really the most important person in the House because they’re like the traffic cop,” Rottinghaus said. “They’re the ones who get to decide where legislation goes, they put together the committees and they really are the ones who basically allowed to set the agenda.”
The previous House Speaker, Rep. Dade Phelan, chose to drop his bid for another term after other Republican leaders — like Governor Greg Abbott — were successful in supporting GOP primary candidates more in line with Abbott’s policy priorities.
The void is set to be filled by either Rep. Dustin Burrows of Lubbock or Rep. David Cook of Mansfield. Experts told KHOU 11 the choice could determine how the House — and the GOP in the chamber — moves forward this session. Either candidate would need 76 votes to secure control of the gavel.
“One wing of the party thinks it’s a more conservative version and that’s in David Cook,” Rottinghaus said. “Another feels like they want to have some institutional stability, somebody who’s been there and who’s passed big bills and that’s David Burrows.”
Cook has backing from Gov. Abbott, Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick and Attorney General Ken Paxton. But Burrows’ chances may lie in support from across the aisle, with opportunities to collaborate with Democrats and gain votes with the opposing party.
“I’m not even being coy as we sit here today, no one really fully knows because there’s a lot of uncertainty, so we will have to wait and find out,” Rep. Ron Reynolds, a Democrat who represents Fort Bend County, said at a news conference Sunday. “People are still undecided and making decisions but it’s going to be a very close vote.”