State Rep. David Cook touted his first new supporter in nearly five weeks on Saturday after a veteran Texas House Democrat rallied behind him in an epic battle for Texas House speaker despite the fact that his campaign has revolved on
a vow to strip Democrats of substantial clout as the GOP caucus nominee.
State Rep. Richard Raymond of Laredo raised eyebrows from the Capitol City to the Rio Grande on Friday night when he gave Cook his first pledge from a Democrat in an unforeseen move that sparked visions of a parade of Democrats into the Republican caucus candidate's camp before the election on Tuesday.
GOP State Rep. Dustin Burrows of Lubbock expects to win the gavel three days from now with a fairly equal mix of Republicans and Democrats and the possibility of a late surge of support from members who want to be on the winning side. But Burrows could be in trouble if a dozen Democrats or more refused to back him in the only vote that counts three days from now on the lower chamber floor.
The 2025 speaker's election will be the first in 22 years of Republican rule that wasn't over for all practical purposes on the final weekend before the election. But Burrows remains the betting favorite barring an exodus of Democrats from his corner to Cook - a potential development that may be wishful thinking in light of the promise to eliminate Democratic committee chairs if he's the next speaker.
Raymond's pitch for Cook came on the same day that Democratic State Rep. Ray Lopez of San Antonio announced that he planned to vote for State Rep. Ana-Maria Ramos of Dallas as one of two Democrats who've been candidates for the leadership post. The border lawmaker's alignment with Cook triggered speculation inside the Austin beltway on the possibility of several Democrats falling in line behind him with a collective Burrows snub.
None of the current or incoming Texas representatives is bound to vote for any particular contender for the dais just because they've pledged to a singular Republican or Democrat.
Cook had been stuck in neutral for an entire month with 58 pledges of support from GOP colleagues in a contest that takes 76 votes to win. Conservatives who oppose Burrows had been hoping that Cook could prevail without the need for a single Democratic vote - an outcome that would have been a first in the west wing in Austin.
But Cook decided in December that he had no chance for success with some Democrats in the fold. His promise to take power away from the minority party members has made the courting of Democrats an imposing challenge.
Raymond had spurred conjecture on a potential run for Congress in 2026 in the event that Democratic U.S. Rep. Henry Cuellar of Laredo doesn't seek another term in the midst of legal woes. Raymond's belated plug for Cook could be seen as a possible foreshadowing of a switch to the GOP in the making.
But Cuellar beat a Republican challenger by six points in November despite the unflattering publicity that he's garnered in the past year. Cuellar won 60 percent in Webb County where he and Raymond are residents. Cuellar beat the GOP foe with 56 percent of the vote in a swath of Bexar County that's included in Congressional District 28.
But Donald Trump defeated Kamala Harris in Webb County by 2 percentage points while posting a 29-point victory margin in Guadalupe County as the third largest that Cuellar represents in CD 28.
With Raymond in tow, Cook appears to have 59 supporters at this point in time while Burrows has at least 30 Republicans as solid pledges in his camp. That means that Burrows would need 46 of 62 Democrats on his side of the ledger to lock the gavel down if none of the Republicans switch sides between now and Tuesday.
more to come ...
