It has been a tumultuous week for the Texas Legislature since House Speaker Dade Phelan abandoned his bid for another term.
As soon as the embattled Beaumont Republican announced his withdrawal from the race late last week, one of his top allies, Rep. Dustin Burrows of Lubbock, launched his own bid for the gavel. Burrows’ eleventh-hour candidacy led to a dramatic showdown last weekend against Rep. David Cook of Mansfield, who won a closed-door vote to become the House Republican Caucus’ endorsed candidate after a contingent of Burrows’ supporters exited the meeting.
Soon after, Burrows released a list of 76 current and incoming members — 38 Democrats and 38 Republicans — backing him for speaker, seeming to reach a majority of the 150-member chamber. But a few Republicans on the list immediately asked for their names to be removed, dropping Burrows’ public support below the 76-vote threshold.
A handful of other GOP members on Burrows’ list have also come out for Cook this week, amid an intense pressure campaign that has seen Cook’s hardline conservative supporters threaten to censure and wage aggressive primary challenges against any House Republicans who do not get behind the caucus’ speaker nominee. Some have also noted that Burrows once supported the caucus’ rule requiring all GOP members to support the group’s nominee when the House officially picks the speaker in January.
Burrows spoke with The Texas Tribune Friday morning about his bid for speaker and the delicate dance he is attempting as he looks to win the gavel with a mix of Democratic and Republican support.
This interview has been minimally edited for length and clarity.
Q: This all came together very quickly last week, with Speaker Phelan withdrawing from the race and you stepping forward essentially in his stead. What can you tell me about the backstory of how you suddenly emerged as a speaker candidate? What were those hours like last Thursday around when Phelan told members he was withdrawing and you filed paperwork to run yourself?
A: I’ll give you the big picture. Many of the members, basically, we huddled, got together, knew that we had to have somebody run for speaker. And as we [discussed], a speaker really doesn't choose to be speaker. The members choose who they want to be their speaker. And many of the people came to me and said, we'd like you to run. And the support was overwhelming, and I filed after that.
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Q: Since you announced your list of 76 votes, a handful of members have asked for their names to be removed and said they're either backing Rep. Cook or they want to stay uncommitted. In light of that, do you still feel that you can get to 76 on the House floor?
A: I still feel confident we’ll have over 76 votes on the opening day of session to be speaker of the House. I have a great team, and I'm still working to get even more members comfortable on the opening day to vote [for me]. I still believe we can have a majo
