HOUSTON — State Representative Gene Wu, D-Houston, is the new leader of Texas House Democrats.
And as lawmakers prepare for the 89th Legislative Session that begins January 14, the Houston Democrat is as outspoken as ever.
“Right now, Democrats, we’re the belle of the ball,” Rep. Wu told us on Inside Texas Politics. “There are two factions of the Republicans who do not like each other one bit and cannot stand each other. And, right now, Democrats are saying, ‘Hey, we’re closer to y’all than y’all are to each other. So, whoever wants our hand in this relationship, you can come get it.’”
After recently being elected the new chair of the Texas House Democratic Caucus, Rep. Wu has his hands full.
House Democrats are at their lowest level in years, holding only 62 seats in the Texas House compared to the GOP’s 88 members.
Rep. Wu said his strategy for keeping Democrats relevant during the legislative session is to finally do the things the party has been talking about for years.
“Democrats, consistently, are chasing after Republicans, fighting on the battlefields they choose,” he said. “And I think Democrats need to come out and talk about the things that Democrats have cared about for a long time: wages, healthcare costs, food costs, housing costs, insurance costs, the power grid — all these things that matter to everyday Texans.”
Rep. Wu is already pushing around what power his party has as lawmakers prepare to elect the next Speaker of the House — as of now, a race between Rep. Dustin Burrows, R-Lubbock, and Rep. David Cook, R-Mansfield.
Wu said to expect the Democratic party to be more aggressive under him, and that starts with the concessions they’re trying to extract from the Speaker candidates. Rep. Wu said he personally supports Rep. Burrows and has told the Republicans they could use his name publicly. But he said the party as a whole will back the candidate that offers the best deal.
“Right now, Mr. Burrows has offered the best deal to Democrats that I can see,” Rep. Wu said.
In terms of the exact offers, Rep. Wu said he’ll keep the details private.
But in a general sense, the Democrat said it ranges from operations, such as the ways rules are enforced, to legislation and whether the Speaker candidate would allow a vote on a certain topic, such as exceptions for abortion.
“We’re still continuing to negotiate right now and get more concessions,” Rep Wu said. “But, again, David Cooke is talking to us too. And we’re saying, like, ‘What do you got to offer? Like, tell us. If you give us a better deal, we’ll go with you.’”