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The Blast: Next steps after Saturday’s GOP caucus vote [1]
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Date: 2024-12
Dec 9, 2024 | View in browser
By Renzo Downey and The Texas Tribune Politics Team
5 days until the 2025 moratorium on political contributions
36 days until the 89th Legislature convenes
The enforcer: The Texas GOP Rep. Dustin Burrows has chosen the nuclear option, openly courting Democrats to join his team of Republicans hoping to make him the next speaker of the Texas House over the will of the majority of Republicans.
Although Burrows publicly only has 73 supporters after two Republicans and one Democrat wanted off the list, the Republican from Lubbock looks best positioned to claim the gavel come January. That’s despite Rep. David Cook of Mansfield winning the endorsement of the Republican caucus and, in theory, the support of its 88 members. As of Saturday, his list contains 56 members, and that isn’t final.
The caucus bylaws don’t legally bind the members to Cook. Moreover, the bylaws don’t provide a mechanism to punish members who vote against the caucus’ endorsed candidate. The one mechanism Republicans have is to censure members, allowing the state party — under the new Republican Party of Texas rules approved earlier this year — to block censured members from appearing on the primary ballot.
To see for yourself, it’s Rule 44. Under penalty three, the State Republican Executive Committee can “authorize and direct” the state or county chairmen to restrict a censured candidate from entering the primary that cycle.
On Saturday, the SREC issued a pair of resolutions saying that breaking quorum of the caucus, voting with Democrats for someone other than Cook and implementing secret ballots will be seen as violations of the party platform and legislative priorities. Three strikes make a censure, and many members are now at an 0-1 count, if merely walking out of the caucus meeting constitutes a violation.
While the Republican Party of Texas claims it has the constitutional right to decide who can and cannot partake in its primaries, it hasn’t been tested in court yet. There is skepticism that it will hold up in court, but it may take some time to get that sorted, potentially until after ballots are printed in 2026.
Now that the Texas GOP has started counting the censurable acts, reporters and lawyers are going to need to do some prep on how the process works and whether it’s legal.
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2024 Burrows vs. 2017 Burrows Anti-Burrows members and advocates are also highlighting that the speaker candidate played a key role in creating the part of the caucus bylaws that established the speaker candidate endorsement process.
In November 2017, a working group of the Texas House Republican Caucus presented the caucus with proposed rules for the speaker endorsement process, and the caucus adopted the changes a month later. The working group included Burrows and Reps. Todd Hunter of Corpus Christi, Jeff Leach of Plano, Chris Paddie of Marshall and John Smithee of Amarillo.
Then-caucus Chair Tan Parker of Flower Mound formed the working group after 14 members, the core of which were in the Texas House Freedom Caucus, wrote Parker a letter asking for a procedure to determine a nominee.
It may not have been Burrows’ original idea, but he was a part of the team that finalized the proposed rules.
Reps. Steve Toth of The Woodlands and former Texas GOP Chair Matt Rinaldi both shared video of Burrows defending the proposal. The video came from a Texas Tribune panel moderated by Evan Smith in November 2017.
“I don’t want to be in a situation a year from now where a member of the Republican caucus comes in and says, ‘Guys, guess what. I’ve got 55 Democrats who’ve made a deal with me to put me in the chair,’ ” Burrows said before listing some hypothetical concessions such a Republican would’ve made to Democrats. “I think we should take control of it as a caucus. I think it will be a unifying thing.”
Anonymous man watches over his creation On Saturday morning, The Blast found a dad with a backpack and young family in the Capitol Extension overlooking the Seal Court, observing protesters there to support Rep. David Cook and his reform-minded supporters. What few people there likely realized was that the mustachioed man was looking down at a protest whose roots traced back to the actions the man took in that building over a year prior.
Retiring House General Investigating Committee Chair Andrew Murr, R-Junction, told The Blast he and his family were in the building because Santa was on the House floor. That’s better cover than a disguise any mustache could make.
Murr was mostly but not completely up to speed on recent events in the House, but he did agree with out-going House Speaker Dade Phelan’s comments to reporters on Friday defending the impeachment of Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton, which began in Murr’s committee.
Phelan’s words, as a refresher:
“As far as me not wanting to be speaker again, no, it had no impact on me not wanting to be speaker again. It didn’t play any role in the primary, quite frankly. He didn’t have any — success did not rise and fall on impeachment. The proof is in the data.”
Murr agreed that the data showed impeachment changed little, with one exception. Well, Little.
Paxton’s Senate trial elevated Paxton defense attorney Mitch Little, who went on to defeat Rep. Kronda Thimesch, R-Lewisville, in her Republican primary, Murr claimed.
However, it wasn’t just Thimesch who lost in the primaries. Fourteen of Paxton’s endorsed candidates defeated incumbents. However, Paxton targeted 33 incumbents, and only five of those 14, including Little, won without help from Gov. Greg Abbott.
The others: Andy Hopper beat Rep. Lynn Stucky of Denton
beat Rep. of Denton David Lowe beat Rep. Stephanie Klick of Fort Worth
beat Rep. of Fort Worth Shelley Luther beat Rep. Reggie Smith of Sherman
beat Rep. of Sherman Keresa Richardson beat Rep. Frederick Frazier of McKinney Of the five losers, only Smith also opposed vouchers. To The Blast, that looks like four races where Paxton could have single-handedly carried winners over the line.
Rep. Michael Burgess’ daughter, Christine, passes away Retiring U.S. Rep. Michael Burgess, R-Lewsiville, announced this morning that his eldest daughter, Christine Burgess, died in her sleep this weekend. Our condolences to the congressman and his family.
HIDDEN IMAGE Next week: The House Criminal Jurisprudence Committee will meet at noon on Friday. View the list of upcoming meeting notices here and here.
HIDDEN IMAGE We’ve mistakenly had in our calendar that state Rep. David Cook ’s fundraiser at The Austin Club would be tomorrow. It was today.
’s fundraiser at The Austin Club would be tomorrow. It was today. The Senate Democratic Caucus will hold its fundraiser at The Austin Club on Thursday.
Rep. Dustin Burrows will have a fundraiser in Lubbock on Thursday followed by one at The Austin Club on Friday. The invites bill Burrows as the “speaker-elect.”
Uvalde Leader-News publisher Craig Garnett will discuss his new book, “Uvalde’s Darkest Hour,” during a conversation in downtown Austin or online at 9 a.m. Wednesday, Dec. 11.
Tony Plohetski, investigative reporter at the Austin American-Statesman, will talk with Garnett about the work, which includes first-hand accounts of the horrific 2022 Robb Elementary shooting, and the ways the Uvalde community has tried to heal, make sense of the incomprehensible and seek meaningful change on local and state levels.
A book signing will follow the conversation. RSVP today
HIDDEN IMAGE Donald Trump Jr. called on Texas Republicans to support David Cook in the race for Texas House Speaker. Fox & Friends co-host Lawrence Jones III also took to social media to highlight Saturday’s events in Austin. Expect more national attention on the race, maybe even something from the president-elect.
called on Texas Republicans to support in the race for Texas House Speaker. Fox & Friends co-host also took to social media to highlight Saturday’s events in Austin. Expect more national attention on the race, maybe even something from the president-elect. U.S. Sen. John Cornyn met with UN ambassador nominee Elise Stefanik and FBI director nominee Kash Patel.
HIDDEN IMAGE Do you or someone in your office have a new job you’d like mentioned? Email us. State Rep. Toni Rose , D-Dallas, was elected secretary of the National Black Caucus of State Legislators last week.
, D-Dallas, was elected secretary of the National Black Caucus of State Legislators last week. Fort Worth Police Chief Neil Noakes announced he will retire in May, marking 25 years with the department.
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HIDDEN IMAGE HIDDEN IMAGE
HIDDEN IMAGE Do you or someone in your office have a birthday you’d like mentioned? Email us.
(Dec. 9) State Sen. Morgan LaMantia, D-Palm Valley
(Dec. 9) State Rep. Briscoe Cain, R-Deer Park
SPONSOR MESSAGES Earthx2025 is a premiere forum that convenes leaders in business, investment, innovation, government, public policy, advocacy, and more to advance the latest sustainability solutions. Texans Care for Children is joining over 120 Texas groups calling on the Legislature to prioritize a package of child care proposals this session. Texas Association of Community Colleges: Texas community colleges are the state’s economic engine for recovery. Our colleges provide credentials that meet regional and local workforce demands. Visit tacc.org.
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