Southeast Texas politicians respond to Dade Phelan’s withdrawal from race for Speaker of the House

AUSTIN, Texas — Texas lawmakers and politicians are responding to Incumbent Speaker of the Texas House of Representatives, Dade Phelan’s Friday morning announcement that he would not seek re-election to the influential position after support from Republicans evaporated.

“Out of deep respect for this institution and its members, and after careful consideration and private consultation with colleagues, I have made the difficult decision to withdraw from the race for Speaker of the Texas House,” he said in a statement. “By stepping aside, I believe we create the best opportunity for our members to rally around a new candidate who will uphold the principles that make our House one of the most exceptional, deliberative legislative bodies in the country—a place where honor, integrity, and the right of every member to vote their district takes utmost precedent,” Speaker Phelan said in a statement on Friday morning.

Phelan, who represents the Beaumont area, won re-election to the chamber after a hard-fought primary battle. He will remain a member of the legislature, but no longer have the gavel on the dais.

The official vote for house speaker will happen in January 2025, after the full house convenes for the new session.

After serving two-terms as speaker, Phelan lost support last year after he led the impeachment against Attorney General Ken Paxton, a fellow Republican. Other conservatives were upset with Phelan for continuing the tradition of allowing Democrats to chair some legislative committees – despite a Republican majority. Finally, Phelan had also pushed a measured form of school vouchers which Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick, Gov. Abbott, and other conservatives opposed.

Here’s some of the responses…

“Phelan’s legacy is one of betrayal: prioritizing and Democrat interests over his own caucus, leaving Republican members exposed, attempting a shameful impeachment stunt and consistently failing to deliver for the voters who sent him to Austin. His so-called ‘leadership’ disqualified him long before this moment.

But make no mistake, the swamp isn’t drained yet. Now, the Austin establishment is rallying behind Dustin Burrows — a politician handpicked by Phelan and the Austin Establishment to continue their reign of weak leadership and backroom deals.

Burrow’s record is clear: he rose through the ranks by cutting deals with Democrats and actively sabotaging conservative priorities. His loyalty isn’t to the conservative principles that define our party — it’s to the same corrupt power brokers who propped up Phelan. Burrows is Dade 2.0 and can only become Speaker by being elected by more Democrats than Republicans.

Supporting Burrows is a betrayal of the conservative movement. Voters will remember.” It’s an opportunity for Democrats to regroup, especially after this last election cycle, and come up with an agenda that is appealing to working-class people,” said Paxton.

“Dade Phelan’s reign as speaker has officially come to an end, and it’s about time,” said Covey.

“His sham impeachment trial against Attorney General Ken Paxton, his backroom deals with Democrats, and his refusal to prioritize conservative values over the demands of the Austin Swamp made this outcome inevitable. Phelan’s leadership was a betrayal of the Republican base, and his departure is a victory for grassroots conservatives across Texas.

“I challenged the speaker against all odds and a heavy spending disparity with the goal of seeing this day. While the Austin Establishment outspent us to win that race, today is exactly why we waged the campaign we did. The Texas House now faces a pivotal moment. We need leadership that puts conservative principles and the people of Texas first — not someone who perpetuates the failures of the past. The era of weak leadership is over, and the fight for true conservative representation begins now.”

“Dade Phelan didn’t lose the gavel. Southeast Texas lost the gavel.”

“That’s gonna be hard to overcome because there was so much more on the horizon just for our area and we had first dibs and now we don’t.”

“The VA hospital is huge. I’m glad that he was able to get it done in his tenure and I’m very proud of him and I know the vets will be really happy to know they don’t have to travel to Houston. The long lines will somewhat go away and at least they can have a service center for health and other needs right here in our community.”

“You’ll see turmoil in Austin. You’ll see turmoil in electing a new speaker and then you’ll see the loss of resources that could’ve been diverted to our area to bolster our workforce, our educational system, our infrastructure. You know we had first dibs on a lot of projects that are probably gonna happen in the state that we probably won’t see now.”

“I do think that it will impact the balance, not only for Democrats in terms of how they will be treated as a minority party within the legislature, and that will certainly impact bipartisanship, but also within the Republican Party, where you have a lot of tension between those that are blindly loyal to people like Lieutenant Governor Dan Patrick and Attorney General Ken Paxton, really to the detriment of the Republican Party, and then those who believe in independence and being able to think for themselves and make decisions in the best interest of all Texans, rather than just some Texans.”

“I certainly think it’s an opportunity for Democrats to showcase the importance of civility and prioritizing issues that matter most to Texans, rather than issues that matter most to people like Dan Patrick. “

“It’s an opportunity for Democrats to regroup, especially after this last election cycle, and come up with an agenda that is appealing to working-class people.”

“By losing that jewel we’ve really shot ourselves in the foot and nobody has themselves to blame more than the republican party here in Southeast Texas. To have been so aggressive in trying to take down Dade Phelan.”