Lubbock Republican Dustin Burrows emerged with the crown on Tuesday in the closest Texas House speaker's election in modern times with a victory on the chamber floor where he scored more votes from Democrats than Republicans in the final analysis.
Burrows defeated GOP State Rep. David Cook of Mansfield 85-55 on a second ballot when nine Democrats were recorded as present not voting. The second tally was needed after Burrows fell five votes short of the 76 that he needed to claim the gavel the first time around when State Rep. Ana-Maria Rodriguez Ramos of Dallas received 23 votes as the lone Democrat who was nominated on the floor.
Cook - the GOP caucus nominee - received 56 votes on the initial ballot before former Speaker Tom Craddick flipped to Burrows in the second and final count. Cook had the support of 53 Republicans and three Democrats in State Reps. Sergio Muñoz of Mission, Richard Raymond of Laredo and Rodriguez Ramos in the overtime vote.
Burrows - the betting favorite since he entered the competition early last month - reaped votes from 36 Republicans and 49 Democrats on the second ballot for a final total that represents 56 percent of the lower chamber's 150 members.
The evetual outcome became apparent during a speech that Democratic State Rep. Mihaela Plesa of Plano delivered to second the nomination of Burrows. Plesa said that some Democratic colleagues planned to back Ramos in the first tally before switching their support to Burrows after Ramos was eliminated for the runoff. State Rep. Toni Rose of Dallas urged the minority party members to back Burrows in the second of two seconding speeches that he had Democrats deliver on his behalf.
Raymond endorsed Cook's candidacy in a speech on the floor where he asserted that former Speaker Dennis Bonnen had been running Burrows' campaign and expected to have massive influence over the operations of the chamber in his role as a lobbyist now. Raymond, who flipped from Burrows to Cook during the weekend, reminded members of the furor that Bonnen and Burrows ignited in 2019 amid revelations of a colleague targeting scheme in the next year's elections.
Four freshmen Republicans - State Reps. Jeff Barry of Pearland, Caroline Fairly of Amarillo, John McQueeney of Fort Worth and Denise Villalobos of Corpus Christi - all backed Burrows for speaker in the OT vote. Barry, Fairly and Villalobos had been in Cook's camp before breaking ranks for the election. Burrows landed the support of other Republicans who'd been pledged to Cook including State Reps. Cecil Bell Jr. of Magnolia, Sam Harless of Houston and Janie Lopez of San Benito.
Twenty-two freshmen from the GOP backed Cook as they'd all vowed to do since he claimed the caucus endorsement on December 8.
more to come ...
