The Republican arm wrestling over the Texas House gavel was settled Tuesday — thanks in large part to a coalition of Democrats that backed Rep. Dustin Burrows, the Republican from Lubbock, over his opponent, Republican Rep. David Cook of Mansfield.
If Tuesday’s House vote had followed Republican caucus rules, Cook should have been named speaker. He was, after all, the caucasus’ nominee in December, and Republican House members are expected to vote along party lines to ensure smooth control of power. Cook garnered support from the far-right faction of his party by promising to end the decades-long tradition of appointing members of both parties to committee leadership positions.
Democrats responded to the threat by rallying behind Burrows in a show of bipartisanship that has become exceedingly rare in Texas politics. Burrows' 85-55 win was propped up by votes from 49 Democrats, including Venton Jones, a Dallas Democrat.
“When it came to the speaker race, I did not make my decision lightly. I deliberated with my colleagues for weeks about who I was going to support,” Jones said in a statement shared with the Observer. “While Speaker Burrows and I have policy disagreements, the fact of the matter is that he intends to keep our Texas House institution intact. My constituents did not elect me to burn the House down but deliver tangible results for House District 100.”
Jones added that issues like affordable healthcare, workforce development, the housing crisis and water are areas on which he hopes to find common ground with Burrows, continuing the bipartisan momentum which began with the House speaker election.
Cook’s path to the gavel was shaky from the moment former Speaker Dade Phelan announced his resignation from the position in early December.
Cook had maintained for weeks that he had the support to win the speakership — and seemed likely to do so against Phelan. The belief grew after Texas Attorney Gen. Ken Paxton’s cross-state strong-arming tour earlier this month. Paxton visited the districts of several Republicans who had not pledged allegiance to Cook in an attempt to pressure them to do so.
Today, the RINO (anti-MAGA) Establishment laughed in the faces of our Republican grassroots. They chose Democrat chairs and Lobbyist buddies over their voters.
— Shelley Luther (@ShelleyLuther) January 14, 2025
I look forward to seeing if they’re still laughing after the next round of primaries. The fight starts today. #txlege
After Burrows was named Speaker following two rounds of voting Tuesday, Paxton released a statement urging Burrows to pursue the conservative legislation “that Texas Republicans expect” and celebrating the official ousting of Phelan.
Paxton’s response is surprisingly mild, especially when compared to other party leaders who have threatened to censure Burrows’ intraparty supporters — a move that could prevent that official from appearing on primary ballots in the future if Republican leaders decide to test the party’s new rules that require members to vote for the caucus nominee.
Last week, the Dallas County Republican Party threatened to censure Reps. Angie Chen Button and Morgan Meyer if the two did not vote in Cook’s favor. Despite the threat, both voted for Burrows on Tuesday. Keller Mayor Armin Mizani leveled a similar threat at Rep. Giovanni Capriglione after the vote, stating that by voting for Burrows, Capriglione had disregarded the urging of dozens of officials, a move “we will not forget.”
“The party is mad. Voters are mad and so, sadly, I think some of my peers aren’t going to come back next time because of the actions they took today,” Tony Tinderholt, a Republican from Arlington, told the Dallas Morning News.
“While Speaker Burrows and I have policy disagreements, the fact of the matter is that he intends to keep our Texas House institution intact. My constituents did not elect me to burn the House down but deliver tangible results for House District 100.” — Venton Jones, D-Dallas
tweet this
Despite the far-right uproar, Democrat Rep. Salman Bhojani from Euless feels confident Burrows will not cave to political pressure and will be able to maintain relationships with his more left-leaning colleagues. He told the Observer that Burrows asked for his support before Cook or Ana-María Rodríguez-Ramos — the Democratic candidate for speaker who represents Richardson — and the two had productive conversations.
“It felt like he wanted to uphold the bipartisan tradition of the Texas House, which I would obviously appreciate because for my constituents, who are Republicans, Democrats and Independents, I feel like not having a seat at the table for Democrats means that you're not going to give a vast number of Texans their voice,” Bhojani said.
He added that he has held a deep respect for Burrows since the last legislative session, when Bhojani was a freshman trying to understand the ins and outs of the state house. Burrows, a more senior Republican, “helped [Bhojani] every step of the way.”
As some Republicans clamor to express their anger over Democrats’ role in electing Burrows, Bhojani believes a good amount of the outrage is purely for show, meant to satisfy conservative constituent bases.
“I think there is still a will in the House to give effect to every member and their constituents regardless of the party,” Bohjani said. “I feel that they will just say a lot of these things because they need to for their voters. But at the end of the day, it's not about politics, it's about policy.”
