A group of GOP county chairs from across Texas have signed on to a letter declaring their full support for State Rep. David Cook for speaker of the House.
The letter, released Tuesday and led by Tarrant County GOP Chairman Bo French, states that any Republican representative that does not unite behind Cook (R-Mansfield) will be held accountable.
“As leaders of the Republican Party in our counties, we write to remind you of the trust that voters have placed in our party and the responsibility you bear as their elected representatives,” reads the letter. “This weekend, the Texas House Republican Caucus nominated State Representative David Cook as its candidate for Speaker of the House. David Cook is a proven conservative who is committed to the Texas GOP legislative priorities and platform and to ending the long-standing practice of empowering Democrats with committee chairmanships.”
“Unfortunately, a small group of Republicans chose to abandon the caucus process and, in doing so, the will of the Republican majority. Led by Dustin Burrows, these representatives are now negotiating with Democrats to install a Speaker who would undermine the conservative agenda,” the letter continued. “This is an unacceptable betrayal of our party and our values.”
The chairs urged every Republican House member to “publicly commit to supporting Cook as the Speaker of the House.” If a member fails to support him, they wrote that this decision “betrays the trust of the voters who elected you and jeopardizes the conservative principles we sent you to Austin to defend.”
“The future of our party, our state, and our shared conservative vision depends on your resolve to honor the caucus process and support the Republican nominee,” the letter added. “Anything less is unacceptable.”
In addition to French, the letter was signed by Bosque County Chair Marisusan Kennedy, Brewster County Chair Monica McBride, Coke County Chair Deborah Bailey, Dallas County Chair Allen West, Donley County Chair Bill Word, Eastland County Chair Robin Hayes, El Paso County Chair Jorge F. Gonzales, Hood County Chair Gregory Harrell, Montgomery County Chair Gwen Withrow, Newton County Chair Paul Price, Orange County Chair Cheryl Warren, Parker County Chair Brady Gray, Polk County Chair Paul Laverty, Rockwall County Chair Sharon Henson, and Wise County Chair Rick Lifto.
