State House Republicans opposing current speaker rally behind Mansfield Rep. David Cook
A group of Republicans who oppose Texas House Speaker Dave Phelan are reportedly coalescing around state Rep. David Cook for the leadership role.
Cook, a Mansfield Republican , announced he was challenging Phelan , a Beaumont Republican on Sept. 3. He's among seven members of the House who, as of Friday, had filed paperwork with the Texas Ethics Commission declaring their candidacy.
The group of Republican House lawmakers and candidates met on Friday at County Line Barbecue in Austin to vote on who they'd support for speaker, according to The Quorum Report. The vote comes as Republican fight over Phelan's handling of the job — particularly his appointment of Democratic chairs to House committees.
Over the course of several votes, the pool of candidates was whittled to Cook and Rep. John Smithee of Amarillo , but Smithee ultimately took himself out of the running, according to The Dallas Morning News and The Texan. Cook won attendees' support, according to reports from The Dallas Morning News , The Quorum Report and The Texan .
A speaker won't be elected until January when lawmakers next meet in Austin. The Texas House has 150 members, 86 of whom are Republicans.
In a statement shared on social media, Cook said he was honored to have the support of more than half of his Republican colleagues "who will be serving in the 89th Legislative Session."
"This vote highlights the growing momentum for change within the Texas House, as members rally behind a shared vision of a decentralized leadership model that empowers all members," he said. "I am committed to continuing this journey with integrity, transparency, and a focus on unity as we work towards securing the Republican Caucus nomination in December and, ultimately, the 76 votes necessary to be speaker."
Other House members who have filed for speaker include Rep. James Frank of Wichita Falls, Rep. Tom Oliverson of Cypress, Rep. Shelby Slawson of Stephenville, Rep. John Smithee of Amarillo and Rep. Ana-María Rodríguez Ramos, a Richardson Democrat.
Oliverson, Slawson, Frank and Smithee issued a joint statement supporting Cook.
"We appreciate the support shown to us today by our reform-minded Republican colleagues when they met to consider their preferred candidate for speaker of the house," the statement reads. "The 48 members and nominees who gathered in Austin, including us, unanimously supported Representative David Cook as our preferred candidate. We have suspended our campaigns for speaker and urge all of our Republican colleagues to join us in voting for Representative Cook as the Republican nominee for speaker when the caucus meets in December."
Cook thanked the lawmakers in his Friday statement after the "straw poll" vote.
"Our goal remains clear: To reform the Texas House so that it truly reflects the will of the people," Cook said. "I will work tirelessly to solidify the support needed within our caucus and, after that, to unite the House in order to effectively lead as speaker. This is not just about one person; it's about a movement that will reshape Texas for the better."
There were 48 Republican participants in the meeting , including six who voted by proxy, according to The Texan, which reported that the vote for Cook was unanimous after Smithee's exit The Dallas Morning News reported that 45 House members and House candidates voted for Cook, with three people not voting.
The Quorum Report reported seeing roughly 25 Republican members and incoming freshmen attending the meeting, most of whom had signed previously a letter committing to vote for a speaker who will only appoint Republicans as committee chairs.
Earlier in the day, Phelan in a statement called the meeting "little more than an orchestrated scheme to generate headlines and fuel social media clicks, driving our caucus headlong into unnecessary chaos."
Phelan maintained that he has enough votes to be reelected speaker for a third time.
"The organizers of this distraction have completely and deliberately shortcut established caucus rules to generate an outcome benefiting nobody but themselves," Phelan said. "Not only are their actions disappointing and unacceptable, they are futile, as I proudly have the clear majority votes needed to be the Speaker today, and will have the clear majority support needed to become Speaker again come January."
Before Cook joined the House in 2021, he served as the Mansfield mayor from 2008 to 2021.
It's been common practice for House leadership to appoint Democratic chairs, but in recent years there's been a push for that to end. In a letter announcing his bid, Cook said it's time for leadership to better reflect the will of the majority party, including a "shift to a Republican committee chair model."
