AUSTIN, Texas — The Texas House of Representatives elected State Rep. Dustin Burrows (R-Lubbock) as Speaker of the House on Tuesday after two rounds of voting. Burrows’ major contender, State Rep. David Cook (R-Mansfield), received a minority of 55 votes to Burrows’ 85 in the second round of voting.
Nine representatives who were present for the second round abstained from voting.
The speaker election ends a multi-month fight within the Texas Republican Party that began last legislative session when then-Speaker Dade Phelan broke with Gov. Greg Abbot’s school voucher agenda.
Though Phelan survived a primary election runoff in November of last year, he ultimately chose not to pursue the speaker position for another term.
Since then, both Burrows and Cook emerged as major contenders for the role. The Republican House Caucus picked Cook, but Burrows said he had enough supporters to become the next speaker.
Recently, Attorney General Ken Paxton had been pressuring Republican representatives to vote for Cook.
To become the speaker, a representative needs a simple majority vote among the 150 members of the House – so 76 votes. In the Texas House this session, there are 88 Republicans and 62 Democrats, giving Republicans control of the chamber.
The speaker is the presiding officer of the House, rounding out the trio of state leaders sometimes referred to as “the Big Three,” consisting of the governor, lieutenant governor and speaker.
Ultimately, the speaker decides which bills go to a vote in the House and maintains order during floor debate. The Texas Constitution requires the House to choose a speaker each time a new Legislature convenes, and the speaker is also required to sign all bills and joint resolutions passed by the Legislature.