Sign up for The Brief, The Texas Tribune’s daily newsletter that keeps readers up to date on the most essential Texas news.
Rep. Dustin Burrows, R-Lubbock, was elected speaker of the Texas House on Tuesday, elevating him to one of the most powerful positions in state government.
Burrows’ victory marks a disappointing defeat for the insurgent wing of the party that has worked since the last legislative session to expel Republicans from the power establishment. Republicans, who want to push the House further to the right, won more than a dozen seats in the last election cycle and viewed this presidential race as their best chance in years to oust the current House leadership. .
But while Burrows’ predecessor, Rep. Dade Phelan of Beaumont, was forced to relinquish the gavel, the elevation of his close ally indicates that a similar power structure will likely remain in place.
Burrows won the race for speaker by 85 votes to 55, edging out Rep. David Cook of Mansfield, with nine members present but not voting. He won with a coalition of 36 Republicans and 49 Democrats.
Burrows’ support from Democrats will likely become major ammunition for his Republican critics aligned with the party’s right wing, who have warned that the new president should be chosen by a majority of Republican Party votes.
Republicans are unlikely to completely unite behind Burrows despite his victory. Many of his critics have vowed to go after Republicans who supported Burrows in the primaries, and the Republican Party of Texas has vowed to censure members who broke with Cook.
The position of Speaker of the House plays a crucial legislative role. They appoint committee leaders and manage the flow of legislation through the chamber. Along with the governor and lieutenant governor, the speaker is one of the “big three” leaders of state government, each of whom has considerable influence in crafting and passing laws. If relationships within this group are good, legislative sessions can run quite smoothly. But if ties are strained, major legislation can be blocked.
Last session, those relations were strained and lawmakers had to return to Austin for a record four special sessions after disagreeing on legislation to cut property taxes, restrict immigration, increase the teacher pay and adopt a school voucher program.
Lawmakers are not expected to work as much overtime this time around. Gov. Greg Abbott, whose priority school voucher legislation was defeated last session, spent millions of dollars from his own campaign during last year’s primaries to oust members of his own party who did not did not support his bill. While Abbott now touts the 79 “die-hard school choice supporters” in the House, voucher supporters are optimistic that their success at the ballot box has generated enough political will to get it across the finish line to a packet of vouchers.
Burrows, a proponent of school vouchers, told the Tribune last month that he believes “the political winds have turned and the votes are there” for school vouchers. He made it clear that he would not oppose voucher legislation supported by “the will of the House.”
Jasper Scherer and Renzo Downey contributed to this report.
