UPDATE: A few hours after this article, Madden moved to reconsider the Cook resolution. Brought before the temporary committee again, Madden and others changed their vote to the affirmative and the resolution passed 18-11.
Despite being a hue of red that counties across the state envy, Collin County’s delegation to the Texas GOP Convention is so far failing to lead on conservative issues and has even been seen voting against them.
On the temporary platform committee, SD 8 representative Jerry Madden, a former member of the Texas House, was the deciding vote in defeating Navarro County’s proposed censure of State Rep. Byron Cook that failed 16-15.
Cook’s home county of Navarro has asked the Republican Party of Convention to censure Cook for his efforts to kill pro-life reforms and other conservative legislation during the past decade while serving as the hatchet-man to House Speaker Joe Straus. Cook is also the initiator of the witch-hunt led against Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton.
Senate District 8’s Madden was appointed by the district’s SREC members, Karl Voigtsberger and Candy Noble. Noble, who has since been elected to the Texas House to replace retiring State Rep. Jodie Laubenberg, declined to vote on the Cook censure when the matter was before the SREC and told Texas Scorecard that it was an honest mistake she regretted.
But regardless of the circumstances, cherry-red Collin County which should have been leading the charge on censuring Cook was divided. (Voigtsberger voted for the censure.)
And now with Madden’s vote against censuring Cook, Collin County is no longer simply failing to lead, but actively hindering efforts to hold lawmakers accountable.
The good news is that they have an opportunity to correct the issue in the upcoming Senate District Conventions tomorrow morning.
There, delegates will have a choice on whether they will confirm Voigstberger and Noble’s appointment of Madden to the temporary committee or replace him.
Should they replace him with someone that will vote for the Cook censure, the resolution could pass and go to the floor of the convention where all delegates could vote on the issue.
SD 8 will meet at 11:30am on Thursday morning in the Grand Hyatt in room Texas D.
