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The Blast: Speaker’s race tea leaves and fine print [1]
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Date: 2024-11
It’s a sleepy time around the capital, as people focus on family and friends for Thanksgiving, putting politics on the wayside. But in less than two weeks, we’ll have a better idea of how the Texas House speaker’s race will pan out.
Expect things to really heat up next week, after all the Thanksgiving festivities pass and when the incoming class of lawmakers will be in town for freshman orientation. It also marks the final days before the Texas House Republican Caucus will meet to endorse their preferred speaker candidate at the end of the week.
As it stands, both House Speaker Dade Phelan’s supporters and reform challenger David Cook’s supporters are projecting confidence that they can win the caucus vote. Phelan’s team says he will have the votes to win on the floor, and Cook’s team believes their 47 supporters are solid.
The “reform caucus” has been relatively quiet since the flurry of action in September, which some have taken to suggest that Cook’s momentum has stalled.
For those hoping to glean whether there’s any movement, take this fundraiser, set for Dec. 6, the eve of the caucus meeting.
Second Floor Strategies, co-founded by former Speaker Dennis Bonnen and Shera Eichler, is helping put on the reception, which is honoring members from the pro-Phelan camp and the pro-Cook camp. At the top of the list are pro-Phelan committee chairs Brad Buckley, Cody Harris, Jeff Leach and Will Metcalf. There’s also Rep. Angelia Orr, who signed the generic Texas Conservative Commitment but not the pledge against supporting a candidate who would tap Democrats as committee chairs, suggesting she’d back Phelan.
The list continues with honorees who are of potential interest to Cook’s camp. There’s Rep. Charles Cunningham, one of the pro-Cook members who Scott Braddock claimed wanted their names removed from his public list. Then there’s newly sworn-in Rep. Pat Curry, one of the two “confidential” supporters. Finally, there’s Rep.-elect John McQueeney, who participated in the “reform” meeting but didn’t endorse, and Rep.-elect Paul Dyson, who participated via proxy and similarly didn’t endorse.
That fundraising tidbit comes on top of the Cook reception postponed from Dec. 3 till after the caucus meeting and Phelan’s reception that is still on for Dec. 2.
Despite the list of honorees for the Dec. 6 event, Cook’s camp says they’re not concerned about their list of 47 supporters.
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