Next week we have an important election, and control of the Texas House is at stake. Democrats will spend well over $15 million to try to control the Texas legislature, and if that happens, Texans will be in danger.
Since our victory in May, I have been in discussions with colleagues across the Republican caucus who are all eager to find a speaker candidate who fits their goals.
Two primary groups have formed.
First is the group of lawmakers who were deceitfully targeted by Dennis Bonnen and Dustin Burrows, along with several other lawmakers who have joined them. The second group is primarily made up of former Bonnen lieutenants, eager to preserve their power.
Ideologically, I agree with the Bonnen group more, but the other group seems clearer in their understanding that the previous speaker regime was corrupt and deceitful. They also are willing to discuss needed reforms that should be considered for the position of speaker.
That being said, my biggest concern is that neither of these groups have articulated a clear plan to change the culture in the Texas House, and neither has articulated a plan to pass more conservative legislation next session or, at a minimum, to allow members who want to fight for conservative legislation to do so without retribution from leadership.
Here is the truth: If the speaker vote is nothing more than picking which group gets to be in control, while the status quo of the Texas House remains the same, then I’m not interested in joining either team, and abstaining—or voting with a “white light”—would be my only option.
So what could change my position?
I’m hopeful that there are enough Texas House members not with any group that are willing to elect a speaker who is dedicated to changing the culture of the Texas House, willing to allow conservative priorities to come to the floor for debate, and sees the importance of unifying our caucus around the reality of the danger that exists with Democrat control of the Texas House.
I ran for state representative due to corruption that existed in the Texas House, and I’m not going to start off my first term by supporting anything other than a new direction that Texans deserve.
I promised my constituents I would prioritize conservative victories that they desperately need and deserve. I plan to fulfill that promise.
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