Freshman GOP Rep Motives Still Mystery
in Patrick Dissing and Endorsement Snub
Capitol Inside
June 10, 2021
A rookie Republican state representative took the extraordinary step of calling out Lieutenant Governor Dan Patrick on Thursday when he declared that he wouldn't be backing the powerful statewide figure who leads the Texas Senate in his re-election race next year.
State Rep. Cody Vasut of Angleton unloaded on the lieutenant governor as the guest speaker at a luncheon sponsored by the Lake Jackson Business Association. But Vasut didn't elaborate on why he would go to such a dangerous extreme with the non-endorsement that Patrick will take as a personal insult and invitation for revenge.
The freshman lawmaker's blistering broadside appeared to be an attempt to defend GOP Speaker Dade Phelan in the fallout from a Patrick verbal assault of his own during an appearance on a Dallas radio show. Patrick had portrayed Phelan as an apologist and pawn for overly sensitive Democrats.
But Vasut didn't refer to Phelan specifically during the scathing Patrick appraisal and snub that sparked speculation inside the beltway in Austin on ulterioir motives and who else the coastal lawmaker might be trying to help with the hurling of stones at Goliath.
“I frankly think we need new leadership in the Texas Senate,” Vasut said at hometown event today. “I do not support Dan Patrick for re-election. I think he needs to go. I think we need somebody else in there, somebody who’s actually committed to being a productive member."
Vasut was elected last year as Republican Dennis Bonnen's replacement after the longtime legislator cancelled a bid for a new term in the House where he served his last two years as speaker. Bonnen backed a separate candidate in the GOP primary election in House District 25 where Vasut won in a runoff with more than 69 percent of the vote.
Vasut's surprise Patrick slam raised the specter of possible ties to outgoing Texas GOP Chairman Allen West, who's been floated this week as a potential candidate for lieutenant governor after months of speculation on a bid to take Governor Greg Abbott out in the 2022 primary election.
West had appeared to be jockeying for a gubernatorial quest while hammering Abbott relentlessly for months on restrictions that he'd imposed during the COVID-19 pandemic. But West could lower his sights to the second highest-ranking job at the statehouse after igniting a feud with Patrick over an unlicensed carry gun bill that both are claiming to have saved during the regular session that ended last week.
But potential links from Vasut to West could be a stretch given the low odds that any potential primary challengers could expect to face at the outset in fights with Abbott or Patrick.
Bonnen had a history of bad blood with Patrick when he'd been a top lieutenant on Republican Joe Straus' team in the speaker's office. It's conceivable that Vasult's predecessor in HD 25 could be behind the Patrick slam from out of the blue today. |
