“Oust Straus” momentum continues as more and more Texas Republicans are demanding new House leadership that actively supports the party platform.

Joining the call, the Dallas County Republican Party passed a resolution Monday night expressing “no confidence” in House Speaker Joe Straus for his failure to advance the Republican Party of Texas platform, and calling on Republican legislators to elect new leadership:

1)  We, the Dallas County Republican Party, have no confidence in the current Texas House Speaker to promote legislation that furthers the Republican agenda as called for in the Republican Party of Texas platform, and call on Texas House Republicans to change the current Texas House speakership due to non-support of the platform and other obstructionist actions.

 

2)  We further call on Texas House Republicans to nominate and elect a Texas House speaker consistent with RPT 2016 platform paragraph 70.

3)  We further call on Texas House Republicans to fully support the platform and principles of the Republican Party of Texas, in particular those elements of the Governor’s call for special sessions that are included in the platform.

A record vote wasn’t taken, but the resolution passed with a solid majority of members present, a precinct chair at the meeting told Texas Scorecard.

DCRP’s Executive Committee cites Straus’ appointment of Democrats and “the least conservative Republicans” as House committee chairs as his key method of obstructing “conservative policies supported by Texas voters, and the platform and priorities of the Republican Party of Texas.”

House members representing Dallas County include some of those least-conservative Republicans: Linda Koop (Richardson), Morgan Meyer (Dallas), Angie Chen Button (Richardson), Cindy Burkett (Sunnyvale), and Jason Villalba (Dallas).

Only Rodney Anderson (Grand Prairie) and Matt Rinaldi (Irving) have career scores above a “C-” on Empower Texans’ Fiscal Responsibility Index. Rinaldi ranks highest with an “A+” and was also ranked the most conservative state representative in both 2015 and 2017 studies conducted by Rice University professor Mark Jones.

Elsewhere in the Metroplex, Collin County and Denton County Republicans have passed similar resolutions; Tarrant County GOP’s Executive Committee may join them when it meets on Sept. 14.

Galveston County’s GOP also passed an anti-Straus resolution Monday night, bringing the total to nearly 30. More than a dozen others are reportedly in the works.

Straus’ home county Republican party was the first to formally rebuke him back in July, stating simply, “We of Bexar County GOP resolve that there should be a change in leadership in the Texas House speakership due to the non-support of the RPT platform by the current incumbent.”

That simple message is continuing to resonate with Republican voters across the state. Republican representatives who value their constituents’ and their party’s support should take heed.

Erin Anderson

Erin Anderson is a Senior Journalist for Texas Scorecard, reporting on state and local issues, events, and government actions that impact people in communities throughout Texas and the DFW Metroplex. A native Texan, Erin grew up in the Houston area and now lives in Collin County.

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