Blog Article
As we reported last week, the House Republican caucus met to select their candidate for Speaker while we were in the middle of our SREC meeting.
What happened:
Caucus convened with all 88 members present.
First 2 votes were split, with Rep. David Cook in the lead but without a majority.
Caucus recessed, whereupon 2 dozen + members that were supporting Rep. Burrows left, in hopes of undermine the vote or possibly break quorum (didn’t happen).
Caucus voted and confirmed Cook as the official candidate.
Burrows announced, shortly after the caucus vote, that he was the ‘speaker elect’ (no such thing) with endorsements from 38 Republicans and 38 Democrats. This was false. Several of the Republican members he listed had endorsed Cook, others he listed without permission, and several of the Democrats declined having given him permission to list their names. Is someone that flat out lies like this the kind of person we want as Speaker?!?
BOTH of our Dallas Republican representatives were in the group that left the caucus and have endorsed Burrows.
If Reps. Button and Meyers vote for Burrows in the official Speaker election on January 14th, they will be in violation of caucus rules.
The SREC approved a 2nd resolution on this issue (see below), endorsing Cook and reminding the rogue Republicans that a vote for anyone else would be grounds for censure.
What is next:
- Call your House representative and implore them to vote for Cook.
- Make a reservation with one of the groups organizing buses to go to Austin on January 14th, and make your voice heard.
- Continue to spread the word and the information provided here.
Other information to keep in mind:
Censure requires 3 violations within one term of office; a vote on 1/14/25 other than for Cook can be considered 1 violation. The caucus vote was not a violation for the upcoming term because the term hasn’t started yet. The record vote for speaker on the first day of session can be a violation. Other violations must be against items in the Principles of the Party as outlined in the preamble section of the Platform, or of the legislative priorities for the current term.
Censure can be done at the county level but must adhere strictly to the process laid out in RPT rule 44.
A new facet of censure is the ability to refuse the application of a candidate to run as a Republican/appear on our ballot. This penalty is not automatic with censure but is an option of censure. Penalties may only be approved by the SREC.
We will be moving to closed primaries in 2026, which may affect the decision of some legislators on running for re-election.
Resolution Urging GOP Caucus Unity
WHEREAS, Plank 213 of the 2024 Republican Party of Texas Platform states in part:
Texas Speaker of the House, House Committees, and Legislative Quorum: In the Texas Legislature: a) We oppose the use of pledge cards and call for Republican members to caucus after each November General Election to determine, by secure secret ballot, their candidate for Speaker and Speaker Pro Tempore. We also call for Republican members to vote as a unified body for their selected Speaker and Speaker Pro Tempore candidate when the Legislature convenes in regular session, provided that the individual selected in caucus for speaker publicly pledges to comply with the entirety of this plank; and
WHEREAS, the Texas House Republican Caucus met on December 7, 2024, to nominate a candidate for Speaker in compliance with the Platform; and
WHEREAS, in the third vote, 26 Republican Representatives walked out of the Texas House Republican Caucus vote in an attempt to deny quorum to the Caucus so that a candidate could be elected with Democratic votes; and
WHEREAS, the Texas House Republican Caucus voted on the third ballot to support Representative David Cook of Tarrant County as their official nominee; and
WHEREAS, after extensive meetings with, and concessions offered by, Representative Dustin Burrows, the Texas House Democratic Caucus has “released” its members to vote for a Republican Speaker candidate other than Representative Cook in an effort to stop Republican agenda items such as school choice, ending taxpayer-funded lobbying, and ending the practice of appointing Democratic committee chairs; now
THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED that the Republican Party of Texas urges all members of the Texas House Republican Caucus to unite behind Representative David Cook and to immediately and publicly commit to vote for him in the floor vote for Speaker of the House; and
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Republican Party of Texas calls on Representative Dustin Burrows, and any other Republican Representatives besides Representative Cook who 1 have active campaigns for Speaker of the House, to immediately suspend any campaign activities for Speaker of the House and to commit to support Representative Cook; and
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Republican Party of Texas condemns any effort by Republican Representatives to ally with Democrats to elect a Speaker who was not supported by the majority vote of the Texas House Republican Caucus; and
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Republican Party of Texas praises the Representatives who did not originally support the caucus election winner, but attended the final vote anyway in a spirit of unity, and encourages them to unify behind Representative Cook in any floor vote; and
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that a vote for any attempt to change the Rules of the Texas House of Representatives to allow a secret ballot vote in a floor vote for Speaker of the House will be interpreted by the SREC and by Republican voters as an attempt to hide a vote with Democrats, and as such, will be considered equivalent to a vote for a Speaker supported by Democrats, which the SREC will consider a censurable act.
