Next year will feature President-elect Donald Trump’s America First agenda and a Texas legislative session that could reignite the power struggle among state Republicans.
The year will abound with national and local intrigue.
The Legislature kicks off its 140-day session Jan. 14. Lawmakers are required to pass only a budget during that time. However, they’ll also approve scores of other bills that will impact the lives of everyday Texans.
Trump’s policies — from immigration to energy — are expected to influence the laws and policies developed in Texas.
Locally, the upcoming year will feature municipal elections and the selection of new executives to lead Dallas City Hall.
Here’s the 2025 political drama to watch.
State Rep. David Cook, the former mayor of Mansfield, is a leading contender for House speaker. His contest against Lubbock’s Dustin Burrows is the latest chapter in a GOP power struggle that highlighted the 2024 election season.
Cook has the support of a majority of House Republicans, while Burrows says he has enough bipartisan backing to become speaker.
The Texas Republican Party, led by Plano’s Abraham George, is mounting a pressure campaign to achieve a united GOP front for Cook.
A major issue is whether to allow Democrats to chair House committees, a practice opposed by many conservative activists. Democrats, of course, are against Cook’s candidacy because he’s made it clear he won’t appoint them to committee leadership roles. If Republicans are not united for the Jan. 14 vote, House Democrats will influence who becomes the next speaker.
Outgoing House Speaker Dade Phelan was the last casualty of the 2024 Texas Republican infighting. Though he narrowly won reelection in his Beaumont-area district, Phelan opted against another term as speaker.
The far right wing of the GOP blamed him for conservative priorities failing in the House. Phelan also was criticized for the 2023 House vote to impeach Attorney General Ken Paxton, who was cleared on corruption charges by the Senate.
One of the biggest issues for the upcoming session is the funding of public education, along with a voucherlike plan that would allow Texas students to use public dollars to attend private schools.
After helping to oust eight Republicans who opposed his school choice plan, Gov. Greg Abbott says he now has the votes to get a bill to his desk.
With the writing on the chalkboard, public school advocates and administrators are trying to cut the best deal possible. They hope it includes a robust increase in public school funding and pay raises for teachers. Abbott has refrained from backing such proposals until his school choice legislation is approved.
Along with education, expect lawmakers to use much of a projected $20 billion surplus to give Texans another property tax reduction. In 2023, Abbott signed a bill for an $18 billion property tax reduction.
Meanwhile, lawmakers likely will consider more fortifications to the Texas energy grid, legislation to ensure the availability of water and policies that place guardrails around artificial intelligence, an emerging technology that is changing the way we live. Other possibilities include improving access to health care for rural Texans.
Conservatives may seek ways to bolster anti-abortion laws, which are already some of the toughest in the nation. There will be an attempt to put the issue of casino gambling before Texas voters, though analysts believe such a proposal won’t pass the Senate.
The election of Trump as president will impact Texas politics.
Trump vowed to stage the largest mass deportation of unauthorized immigrants in U.S. history. Texas legislators and law enforcement officials must determine what role, if any, they play in that process. Abbott has said he expects Trump to start with deporting criminals and dangerous sorts, a move he supports.
Texans are waiting to see if raids on businesses and homes will occur as well as how deep federal officials will reach in trying to remove the estimated 2 million people in the state without authorization.
With Trump in the White House, Abbott says it’s likely that funding for Operation Lone Star, launched in 2021, will decrease.
The operation focuses on arresting undocumented immigrants on state charges, such as trespassing, and on making border crossings more difficult by installing razor wire and other physical barriers along the Rio Grande. The initiative’s cost has climbed to $11 billion, and Abbott wants another $2.9 billion to run the program through 2027.
It was a rough election year for Texas Democrats.
Republican incumbent Sen. Ted Cruz scored an easy reelection win over U.S. Rep. Colin Allred, D-Dallas. In what was billed as a close race, Cruz won by 8.5 percentage points, a setback given that in 2018 he beat Democrat Beto O’Rourke by only 2.6 points.
Trump overwhelmed Vice President Kamala Harris in Texas by 14 points, a far greater victory than his 5.6-point Lone Star win in 2020. Democrats also lost 25 out of 25 appellate court races.
Democrats inside and outside of Texas are pondering the path forward. In March, Texas Democrats will elect a new chairman to replace Gilberto Hinojosa of Brownsville, who resigned in November.
State Rep. Gene Wu, D-Houston, was elected to lead House Democrats, who must strategize how to effectively navigate a Republican-controlled Legislature.
It will be a busy year in Dallas politics.
Council members are up for reelection in May. And though Mayor Eric Johnson is not on the ballot, observers are watching to see how — or if — he finishes his second term, which expires in 2027.
Dallas Mayor Eric Johnson (left) presents African-American Museum of Dallas founder Dr. Harry Robinson Jr. with the distinguished service award during a ceremony at Dallas City Hall in Dallas, Thursday, Dec. 15, 2022.(Elias Valverde II / Staff Photographer)
There’s been speculation that Johnson, who in 2023 switched to the Republican Party, could find opportunities elsewhere, perhaps with the Trump administration. He has said he’ll finish his term.
Meanwhile, Dallas council members must select a city manager, who then must hire a new police chief. The council and next city manager face pension fund shortfalls, as well as the impact of two propositions approved by voters in November.
Proposition S allows anyone to file a lawsuit against the city – even if they have no stake in the alleged grievance. Proposition U mandates a police force of 4,000 cops, which will surely have budget implications.