Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick has issued a strongly worded statement ahead of the Texas House speaker election, urging Republicans to support the party’s caucus nominee, State Rep. David Cook, and reject what he called a “counterfeit Speaker” scenario where a Republican is elected with Democratic backing.
Last month Cook (R–Mansfield) won the Republican nomination for speaker. That hasn’t stopped State Rep. Dustin Burrows (R–Lubbock) and a minority of Republican members from attempting to create a coalition with Democrats to win the gavel when the legislature meets later this month.
In a post on X, Patrick pointed out that Cook was nominated “fair and square” by the Republican Caucus, with 57 Republicans pledging their support. In contrast, Rep. Dustin Burrows, who left the caucus meeting after losing the vote, has just 31 Republican backers. Despite these numbers, Patrick warned of a long-standing issue in the Texas House: a minority of Republicans teaming up with Democrats to select a speaker.
“For most of the last 15 years, there have been a dozen or so House Republicans who undermine the Republican Party by getting all or most of the Democrats to join them to pick a Republican who the Democrats can then control,” Patrick writes. He went on to accuse Burrows and his supporters of pursuing personal power and influential committee chairmanships at the expense of Republican priorities.
State Rep. Carl Tepper (R–Lubbock), a Burrows supporter, also came under fire for comments made on the radio this week, where Tepper bemoaned that grassroots pressure influences state leadership’s statements.
“The governor and lieutenant governor are susceptible to political pressure like the rest of us; as a matter of fact, they are paranoid about it. And so, if they are hearing screaming from some of the grassroots, then they will probably make a loose statement or two about what they think should happen to take some of the interest off of them,” Tepper stated.
Patrick dismissed the remarks, emphasizing his connection with voters: “I listen carefully to Texas voters. I just won my election by 900,000 votes because I do listen to voters.”
Patrick reiterated his support for the caucus nominee, warning that electing a speaker with Democratic support would kill conservative legislation in the House, just as it has in years past. “Any Republican who wins with a majority of Democrats will be a counterfeit Speaker who will be beholden to the Democrats.”
Patrick concluded his statement by criticizing Burrows and his supporters with a nod to the Alamo. “I’m glad they weren’t with Travis at the Alamo when he drew the line in the sand. They would have crossed the line and walked out of the gate, leaving their fellow fighters behind.”
