Texas House Speaker Dade Phelan drops out of speaker race. So what’s next?
Texas House Speaker Dade Phelan will not hold his leadership role when lawmakers return to Austin in January for the next legislative session.
Who will be the next speaker? That question, including whether the new leader will be from Tarrant County, will be closer to having an answer after a private meeting of the Texas House Republican Caucus on Saturday, Dec. 7.
The official vote to elect a House Speaker doesn’t happen until the new year when the legislative session starts on Jan. 14.
Phelan, a Beaumont Republican serving his second term as House Speaker, announced on Friday, Dec. 6, that he was dropping out of the race. The move comes as a divided Republican party debates who they want to serve in the leadership role. Phelan has received backlash from some Republicans over his handling of Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton’s House impeachment proceedings and his continuation of the tradition of appointing Democrats as committee chairs.
“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,” Phelan 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.”
Rep. David Cook, a Mansfield Republican who announced his bid as a challenger to Phelan in September. A group of 48 lawmakers, including Cook, rallied around Cook at a Sept. 20 meeting at at County Line Barbecue in Austin.
But Cook is not the sole candidate in the race. In addition Democrats who have filed paperwork saying their seeking the leadership role — an uphill feat in a chamber where the GOP holds a majority — Rep. Dustin Burrows, a Lubbock Republican has also entered the race.
Burrow’s Communications Director Matthew Crow confirmed Friday, Dec. 6 that Burrows was now running. A declaration of candidacy was received by the Texas Ethics Commission on Dec. 6. Burrows did not comment on his bid.
When Cook announced his run, he said leadership should better reflect the will of the majority party and expressed support for a “shift to a Republican committee chair model.”
In a social media post on Dec. 6, Cook said the next speaker needs the support of House Republican Caucus so “the mass division that currently plagues our Chamber” can end.
“The House will always be a place where both parties can advocate for what they believe in, but making the Chamber function for the people of Texas begins with uniting the House GOP,” Cook said in the post on X.
Some Tarrant County Republicans on Friday expressed continued support for Cook.
“For far too long the Texas House has empowered democrats, killed conservative legislation, and served the special interests of the Austin swamp over the will of the people,” Rep. Nate Schatzline, a Fort Worth Republican said in a Dec. 6 statement, affirming his support for his Tarrant County colleague.
Rep. Tony Tinderholt, a Republican from Arlington, said he too would support Cook, who he believes has he votes to win the House Republican Caucus endorsement.
“Dustin’s a good member,” Tinderholt said. “I like him. I respect him. The problem is, Dustin is essentially Dennis Bonnen and Dade Phelan 2.0, and we want true reform.”
To win the House Republican Caucus’s endorsement on Saturday, Dec. 7, a candidate must support of two-thirds of caucus members, or three-fifths if a single candidate doesn’t earn two thirds support after two rounds of voting.
There are 88 Republicans and 62 Democrats serving in the House for the coming session. A speaker is elected by a simple majority of the full body — 76 votes.
“When this is all done, we all still have to work together, and we want a Republican caucus that is functional, structured and efficient, effective,” Tinderholt said. “And so I think my ask to everybody is be kind, be respectful, be honest, and let’s go do this tomorrow, and let’s come out with David Cook on top, and let’s get to work.”
He later added, “For Democrats, if they have priority bills, we want them to pass those priority bills, provided we’re passing our legislative priorities for the Republicans and the Democrats aren’t trying to pass bills that totally go against that.”
Even without the Republican Caucus endorsement, a speaker candidate could have a path to victory if enough Republicans and Democrats came together to support the candidate on the House floor come January.
House Republican Caucus Chair Tom Oliverson, a Cypress Republican, previously told the Star-Telegram that caucus bylaws say members are supposed to support the nominee picked Saturday on the House floor.
“So, that’s the rules,” he said at the time. “We’ll see, right? But that is what the bylaws say.”
The House Democratic Caucus released a statement following Phelan’s exit from the race saying the caucus is united.
“Nothing has changed for Texas House Democrats as we look towards January and the next legislative session,” the statement reads. “With 40 days until we reconvene in Austin, only one Caucus stands united and focused on the real problems affecting Texans: struggling public schools, unregulated price gauging after disasters, and the loss of bodily autonomy. For any Speaker candidate interested in serving the House, the Democratic Caucus is available to listen, and hear their plans to finally give Texans a legislative session that puts people over politics.”
Rep. Dade Phelan’s full statement on his exit from Texas House Speaker race
Read Rep. Dade Phelan’s full statement:
“Serving in the Texas House is one of the greatest honors of my life, beginning as a staff member in this Capitol, advancing to represent my community as a state legislator, and ultimately leading for four years as Speaker of the Texas House.
“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. 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.
“I am profoundly grateful to those who have supported me throughout my speakership—principled conservatives who have shown steadfast resolve and courage in the face of immense intimidation from outsiders wishing to influence our chamber and its processes. Though the battle for my speakership is over, the war for the integrity of this chamber wages on—and we will win.
“I will continue to serve in the Texas House of Representatives and look forward to working with my colleagues to nominate a candidate who can best unite the House and ensure our beloved chamber remains a beacon of integrity and conservative leadership in the 89th Legislature.”
This story was originally published December 6, 2024 at 1:57 PM.
