On the first day of the new legislative session, State Rep. Dustin Burrows (R-Lubbock) was elected Speaker of the Texas House. Burrows secured his position with a controversial coalition made up of Democrats and a handful of liberal Republicans, despite the fact Republicans have a commanding majority in the chamber. 

In the first round of voting, Burrows garnered 71 votes, while his primary opponent, State Rep. David Cook (R-Mansfield), received 56, and Democrat Ana-Maria Ramos received 23. The second round saw Burrows win with 85 votes, including support from 36 Republicans and 49 Democrats, while Cook received 55 votes. 

But, this alliance with Democrats is nothing new. For many years, weak Republicans such as Dennis Bonnen and Dade Phelan have courted Democrats first, behind closed doors, before campaigning for support from the Republican caucus.

Thanks to many of you and countless other Republicans from across the state, the speaker vote was held in broad daylight on the house floor. While David Cook did not win the race for the speaker’s gavel, this is a huge win!

The Republican Party of Texas and the Parker County GOP has signaled its intention to censure any Republican lawmaker who did not support the GOP candidate for Speaker, further intensifying the stakes of this internal party conflict. The 36 Republicans who voted for Burrows are now facing scrutiny, with grassroots activists vowing to hold them accountable in upcoming primaries. Luckily, we don’t have to worry about this here in Parker County, because State Representative Mike Olcott voted for David Cook, with the majority of the other Republicans. 

As Burrows takes the gavel, the Texas Legislature is poised for a contentious session. The next order of business will be to adopt rules for the legislature and appoint chairmanships. Hopefully, this process will exclude Democrats. We will be watching this closely to ensure conservative values and priorities remain at the forefront of the legislative agenda.