House Speaker Dade Phelan has announced former Gov. Rick Perry as a new senior advisor.
“Governor Perry’s service to Texas is unparalleled, and I am honored to have him join our team as we prepare for the upcoming legislative session,” said Phelan in a press release.
Perry campaigned for Phelan earlier this year as the speaker faced scrutiny from former President Donald Trump and Attorney General Ken Paxon for appointing Democrats to chair committees in the House, impeding the Texas GOP agenda, and impeaching Paxton.
At a Phelan campaign event, Perry declared that “RINOs” or “Republicans In Name Only” are “sexy.”
Earlier this week, Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick described Phelan as a “RINORAD,” or “Republican In Name Only, Really A Democrat.”
Perry also threw his support behind candidates who supported Paxton’s impeachment, including State Rep. Jeff Leach (R-Plano).
Perry’s new position follows the announcement of Phelan’s new chief of staff, Mike Toomey, whose campaign finance records show numerous donations to Democrat lawmakers since 2015.
Toomey, who previously served as chief of staff to Rick Perry, has been a casino lobbyist, which garnered him between $3.4 and $6.7 million this session alone. One of Toomey’s largest clients is the Las Vegas Sands Corporation, which seeks to legalize monopolistic casino gambling in Texas.
Toomey has also represented Texans for Lawsuit Reform, the group that advocated for Phelan’s impeachment of Paxton last year. Notably, Perry’s name was on the by-line of a Wall Street Journal op-ed calling for Paxton’s impeachment and conviction; the article was ghost-written by TLR.
As of 2022, Perry has warmed up to the expansion of gambling, becoming a spokesperson for Sports Betting Alliance, a group lobbying to legalize mobile sports gambling in Texas.
Perry will advise Phelan in a “voluntary capacity” until the start of the 89th Texas Legislature in January, according to an official press release.
After a near-loss in the primary, Phelan now faces three opponents in the race for speaker—State Reps. Shelby Slawson (R-Stephenville), Tom Oliverson (R-Cypress), and David Cook (R-Mansfield). All say they are running to end the practice of appointing Democrats to chair committees in the GOP-dominated House.
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