( The Center Square) – A West Texas state representative from Lubbock is poised to be the next speaker of the Texas House.
On Saturday, state Rep. Dustin Burrows, R-Lubbock, announced that he had the majority of votes from his colleagues in the House, a bipartisan consensus of 38 Republicans and 38 Democrats, after a Republican caucus met to select a different leader.
Republicans met on Saturday after outgoing speaker, state Rep. Dade Phelan, R-Beaumont, announced he wasn’t seeking the office next year, The Center Square reported.
The House won’t officially vote for the new speaker until Jan. 14, after new members are sworn into office on the first day of the 89th Texas Legislative Session. In January, 88 Republicans and 62 Democrats will be sworn into office.
In the Republican caucus, 60% of votes are needed to elect a speaker; 76 are needed by the entire House.
After three rounds of voting on Saturday, 48 House Republicans out of 88 threw their support behind north Texas Republican David Cook. Because only 62 members were in attendance, the caucus met its 60% threshold for a quorum. However, Burrows and more than two dozen Republicans left the caucus meeting and held a news conference announcing that he would likely be the next speaker.
“I have secured enough of the votes from enough of my colleagues – it is bipartisan – 76-plus names in writing so you can see them yourself,” he said, publishing a list. “I have secured enough to be speaker of the House for the next session. I love this institution, I love the House, and it has given me many opportunities and chances to do great things.”
After the caucus vote, Cook said, “This race is not over. We will continue to work with every member of the Republican caucus and I look forward to having conversations with the Democrats with any issues as a minority party.”
He also published a list of 56 Republicans he said supported him. Both his and Burrows’ lists appear to have duplicates, The Texas Tribune reported.
On Friday, ahead of the vote, Texas House Democrats unanimously passed a formal policy position opposing Cook’s candidacy. On Saturday, they issued a statement saying, “they remained united throughout the speaker’s race.”
“Because of our unity, Democrats will help govern in a bipartisan Texas House that recognizes traditional institutional norms. After extensive discussions with Chairman Burrows, Democratic members have been released to support the speaker candidate of their choice, except for David Cook. Democrats have been assured that the bipartisan traditions of the Texas House will continue.”
Not all Democrats agree, including two Dallas Democrats who announced their plan to lead the Republican-majority body, state Reps. Ana-Maria Ramos and John Bryant.
“Why would 38 Democrats support Burrows for Speaker, when he has championed some of the most harmful legislation to Texas families?” Ramos asked, citing examples.
Cook and Burrows, both attorneys, voted with 60 Republicans, including Phelan, and nearly all Democrats, to impeach Attorney General Ken Paxton in the last legislative session. Paxton was later acquitted by the Texas Senate. The majority of House Republicans who voted to impeach him were reelected, The Center Square reported.
Those opposing Burrows called him and his Republican supporters traitors, claiming they were “betraying the conservative movement,” calling Burrows, “Dade 2.0,” referring to Phelan.
Burrows, and his Republican supporters, voted for some of the most conservative bills ever passed by the Texas legislature, including passing the Heartbeat Act, permitless carry of handguns, property tax relief, banning gender mutilation surgery for minors, and allocating more than $11 billion for border security, among other issues.
Burrows, a co-author of the Heartbeat Act, was sued 13 times in one morning in September 2021. He also received credible death threats that were investigated by the FBI, he said at the time. Burrows also advocated for a Sanctuary City for the Unborn ordinance to pass in Lubbock, which passed.
According to a Texas Tribune ranking and Young Conservatives of Texas ranking of member votes and ideology, neither Cook nor Burrows are ranked as top conservatives, although they rank more conservative than Democrats.
In a column published by Lubbock Avalanche-Journal on Sunday, Burrows thanked his supporters. As speaker, he said, he would protect “the sometimes-fragile deliberative environment of the House to guarantee open and respectful policy debates. The two basic principles common to any legislative body are the right of the majority to rule and the right of the minority to have a voice and participate in the process. The process works best when these two principles are in balance.”
“When the House is at its best, we tackle big problems together by building broad coalitions that are bigger and stronger than our geographic and political differences. As Speaker, I commit to working with all members of the House, whether they vote for me or not, to solve the unique issues most important to their districts. This is the sacred duty of the Speaker, and I will fulfill it.”