Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton will be in Tyler next week, he announced Tuesday on social media.
Paxton’s visit to the Rose City will be part of a statewide tour on Monday and Tuesday. His tour is in conjunction with Republican Party of Texas Chairman Abraham George, which will include stops in key districts across the state.
Paxton said in a press release the tour aims to draw attention to representatives he believes have “fallen short of upholding conservative principles in the past and are reportedly working for a speaker not elected by a Republican majority.”
In the race for Speaker of the House, Gov. Greg Abbott and others, including the Smith County Republican Club, have signaled their support for Rep. David Coo, R-Mansfield. Cook is declared as the endorsed candidate by the House GOP Caucus. The Smith County club’s support was announced Dec. 19 during an emergency meeting, where members unanimously approved to unite behind the GOP’s nominee.
However, other representatives in East Texas, such as District 5 State Rep. Cole Hefner, R-Mount Pleasant, have shown support for Cook’s opponent, Rep. Dustin Burrows, R-Lubbock.
Paxton’s Tyler stop will take place from 6 to 7:30 p.m. Monday at the Holiday Inn in Tyler, 5701 S. Broadway Ave. Paxton said Hefner, House District 7 State Rep. Jay Dean and House District 8 State Rep. Cody Harris are among the representatives “who have yet to confirm they will support a speaker elected by a Republican majority.”
The attorney general said the upcoming tour is “about accountability.” Paxton added that Abbott, Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick and Texas voters “spoke this past year.”
“They expect a Republican-led majority to elect a speaker by a majority of Republican state representatives,” Paxton said in the press release. “Incumbents who made similar ill-fated decisions two years ago, including wrongfully attempting to impeach me, are not returning this legislative session. Take this as a warning. If you’re making deals with Democrats to block a Republican majority-elected speaker, expect a primary challenge. Texans deserve leadership that reflects their values. There is still time for these incumbents to make the right decision.”
The process for electing the speaker of the Texas House of Representatives begins with separate caucus meetings for the Republican and Democratic parties, where members nominate and endorse their preferred candidate.
The GOP typically holds a majority, but both parties participate.
On the first day of the legislative session, all 150 House members vote to elect the speaker, with the candidate needing a majority (76 votes) to win. While the initial voting is based on party caucus support, bipartisan backing can influence the election, especially if there’s division within a party.
If no candidate secures a majority, additional rounds of voting take place until a speaker is elected. The speaker plays a crucial role in determining the legislative agenda, committee assignments and overall governance of the House.
People can view a resolution from the State Republican Executive Committee at texasgop.org/official-documents/ under “Resolution Urging GOP Caucus Unity.”