The Texas Legislature will be back in session in mid January. Yet, with less than a month until kickoff, the state’s Republicans are still undecided on who they want to be the next Texas House speaker, reflecting deeper divisions in the party.
The majority of House Republicans favor Rep. David Cook, R-Mansfield, for the powerful role, while a smaller — but still significant — portion support Rep. Dustin Burrows, R-Lubbock.
At first glance, Reps. Cook and Burrows appear very similar. Each of their voting records align with conservative principles: Both voted for Texas’ restrictive abortion law, the state’s ban on gender-affirming care for minors and controversial immigration legislation.
But the split over who to support reflects a larger, decade-long struggle among the state’s GOP lawmakers.
“It has been this battle between what you would call the traditional Republicans — the business Republicans — and what is now the MAGA Republicans,” said Sherri Greenberg, a former Texas House member and current assistant dean of UT Austin’s Lyndon B. Johnson School of Public Affairs.
It’s unbelievable what is happening in Texas right now. There is a group of so-called Republicans cutting a deal with liberal Democrats to elect a speaker instead of uniting behind the Republican nominee, @DavidCookTexas! Unbelievable! Republicans have a mandate!
— Donald Trump Jr. (@DonaldJTrumpJr) December 9, 2024
Or, as James Henson of UT Austin’s Texas Politics Project calls it, a fight of “conservative versus the very conservative.”
The MAGA Republicans Greenberg mentioned are backing Cook. Even Donald Trump Jr. recently voiced his support for Cook on social media.
Greenberg said one key difference is that Cook wants to break with the longstanding practice of having Democrats chair influential committees in the chamber.
“They believe that there should be a break from this tradition of the minority party, and here that being the Democrats, having any ability to have any role in leadership,” Greenberg said. “They believe that the Democrats should no longer be appointed chairs of any of the committees.”
Rep. Tom Oliverson, R-Cypress, a Cook supporter, talked about the old practice at a Texas Tribune event earlier this year saying that, “Nobody does it this way anymore”.
“I just don't think that really applies anymore,” Oliverson said. “You can go around this country and you can talk to Democrats from New York to California, from Alaska to Florida. I work with them all at the national level, and they think we're crazy for doing it this way.”
However, it does seem both Republican speaker candidates are on the same page around the issue.
While not substantiated, there are claims Burrows has told the Democrats he’s courting for support that, were he to win the speakership, he won’t be appointing any of them as chairs.
But the simple fact he might be communicating or working with Democrats at all has upset some of Burrows’ Republican colleagues. Responding to the claims on X, Rep. Brian Harrison, R-Waxahachie, called Burrows talking with Democrats a “betrayal” of Texas voters.
On the other hand, Rep. Jeff Leach, R-Plano, posted that Burrows has proven to be a steadfast conservative leader.
Lawmakers on social media are also saying Burrows has assured Democrats that he would ensure a school voucher bill doesn’t pass.
That’s one of the most obvious differences between Cook and Burrows, and it’s a big one. Gov. Greg Abbott has been trying to pass a voucher-like plan in Texas for a few years. After efforts failed in 2023, Abbott successfully backed primary challengers to Republicans who voted against it.
Let me be clear:
— Greg Abbott (@GregAbbott_TX) December 11, 2024
I worked this entire year to elect conservative candidates who will pass conservative laws, including school choice.
To achieve that goal we need a Texas House Speaker chosen by a majority of Republicans in accordance with the Republican Caucus Rules.
Speaking to Fox 4 Dallas-Fort Worth after the March primaries, Abbott said he felt, “certain school choice is going to pass this next session.”
It should be noted that Abbott hasn’t endorsed either speaker candidate, but recently posted on X that the state needs a, “Texas House Speaker chosen by a majority of Republicans,” which at this point would mean Cook.
And while each Texas House member is free to vote how they want, Republicans who vote against the majority would be breaking GOP caucus rules that require members to vote in unison.
Brandon Rottinghaus, a political scientist with the University of Houston, said Burrows' supporters could face serious consequences.
“The GOP leadership could ensure that the members who broke quorum would lose their committee assignments in the 89th session, and be censured for not supporting Cook, making them ineligible to run in 2026,” Rottinghaus told The Texas Newsroom.
Others, though, think that’s an empty threat. UT Austin's Henson thinks that’s all talk.
“I'm skeptical of, you know, the chest-beating and the thumping from the Republican Party of Texas,” Henson said. “Remember, the formal party organization in Texas isn’t really the umbrella organization that the title implies.”
We’ll know whether Republican lawmakers currently backing Burrows are willing to call their party’s bluff once the Texas Legislature reconvenes on Jan. 14. The official vote for Texas House Speaker is expected that day.
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