A Texas House Republican who turned against the leadership team a year ago tried on Tuesday to rope Attorney General Ken Paxton into a wild leadership fight when he accused Lubbock State Rep. Dustin Burrows of violating state campaign laws by raising cash for the clash as the self-declared "speaker-elect" when he hasn't actually won the race.
As State Rep. David Cook of Mansfield picked up another supporter today with the latest defection from the rival Burrows camp, State Rep. J.M. Lozano of Kingsville fired a letter to Paxton with a request for a formal opinion on potential illegalities arising from the brazen use of a term that neither of the two active candidates for speaker have earned up to now.
Lozano told the state lawyer that a speaker contender who he declined to name specifically had begun a fundraising push by using a title that's typically reserved for winners of political contests before they're sworn into office. But Lozano wrote that the candidate in question had failed to produce a "public list" that showed a majority of the House members pledged to back him in the official election for speaker on the chamber floor on opening day of the regular session in January.
Lozano suggested that the AG could investigate Burrows for impersonating a public servant by pretending to have authority that he didn't really possess. Lozano raised the specter that a probe could seek to determine if Burrows broke separate laws that forbid "misrepresentation of identity" and "misuse of office title" by portraying himself as the speaker-elect.
"These statues beg serious questions because they provide penalties not just for the candidate misrepresenting themselves, but those helping them to do so," Lozano added in the AG opinion request. Such a ruling from the attorney general would not have the weight of law itself.
Burrows triggered a firestorm when he proclaimed himself to be the next House speaker early Saturday evening after Cook claimed a diluted GOP Caucus endorsement after his rival's supporters walked out of a private meeting after the second of two votes. Cook led Burrows by six votes that were cast on a secret ballot when all 88 of the Republicans who'll take the oath on January 14 were on hand for the caucus nominations tally.
But Burrows sought to seize the narrative without delay when he immediately announced that he had a sufficient number of pledges to win the post that Speaker Dade Phelan decided to give up abruptly last week. Burrows claimed to have 76 members including 38 Republicans and 38 Democrats in his corner - the minimum total count that a winning candidate can have in a speaker's election here.
Burrows has been saying privately that his pledge count has grown beyond the 80 mark in the past few days. The official Burrows tally appears to be closer to
68 or 69 at this point in time with 37 Democrats and 31 Republicans or so after several GOP members flipped to Cook in the past three days.
GOP State Rep. Sam Harless of Spring shifted his allegiance to Cook on Tuesday amid mounting pressure from Lieutenant Governor Dan Patrick, the state GOP and conservatives outside the chamber who oppose Burrows primarily as a result of a plan to keep Democrats in House committee chairs if elected as the new speaker.
A pair of freshman from the Houston area - State Reps. Charles Cunningham and Mano DeAyala - flipped to Cook before the caucus nominee published a list with 56 supporters on Saturday night after Burrows declared a victory that's yet to be substantiated. The addition of Harless pushed the Cook pledge count to 57.
Burrows could close the deal if could lock down pledges from two dozen Democrats who remained uncommitted heading into the week. Burrows would need most but not all of the House's 62 Democrats if 20 or more incumbent Republicans who are allies remain loyal during the month before the election in the face of criticism and threats like none have experienced up to now.
Burrows' top-tier supporters include 15 current Republican committee chairs who would be sacrificing the power they've wielded if they switched sides as desperation moves to save re-election races in 2026.
more to come ...
