Friday, May 3, 2024

Republicans fume over House speaker's fundraiser for turncoat Texas rep who called far-right lawmakers scumbags

texas house speaker

If he loses, Phelan would not only be ousted from his job as state representative. The role of speaker is a powerful one, tasked with naming committee chairmen, setting policy priorities and helping steer bills through the legislative process. Also gone is Amarillo state Sen. Kel Seliger, a business-oriented Republican who had an independent streak and would sometimes tank legislation supported by Patrick. He is replaced by Kevin Sparks, who aligns with Patrick on social issues and who the lieutenant governor endorsed.

Louvre Considers Moving Mona Lisa To Underground Chamber To End 'Public Disappointment'

Harris County Republican launches Texas House speaker bid - Houston Chronicle

Harris County Republican launches Texas House speaker bid.

Posted: Thu, 21 Mar 2024 07:00:00 GMT [source]

Paxton was acquitted of corruption and abuse of office allegations in a historic Texas Senate trial in 2023. But he blamed Phelan for leading that effort and mounted a political revenge campaign to oust the House leader and others who supported the unsuccessful attempt to drive him from office. During the 87th, we reset the national conversation on criminal justice. We showed it is possible to improve public safety while defending the rights of the accused and offering second chances when deserved. We lead the nation in decreasing incarceration rates, reducing recidivism, and facilitating reentry. We have proven you can be tough on violent criminals while also making the criminal justice system work better for nonviolent offenders.

texas house speaker

Ducking or dodging? No political debate set for Phelan, Covey ahead of runoff

The New York university has been in talks with student protest leaders to clear the encampment and had originally set a deadline of midnight on Tuesday. Columbia’s president Minouche Shafik warned on Tuesday that the university would “have to consider alternative options for clearing the West Lawn and restoring calm to campus” if discussions failed. Mike Johnson, the Republican House speaker, will visit Columbia University today to speak to Jewish students and hold a press conference “regarding the troubling rise of virulent antisemitism on America’s college campuses”, his office has said. Dozens of state troopers and police officers in riot gear were at the scene after hundreds of students walked out of class to protest the war in Gaza and demand the university divest from companies that manufacture machinery used in Israel’s war. A photographer was among those arrested during clashes between protesters and law enforcement on the University of Texas at Austin campus on Wednesday. The California State Polytechnic University, Humboldt campus will remain closed through the weekend as protesters, including "unidentified non-students," continue to occupy two buildings, school officials said in an update.

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State Rep. John Kuempel argued at a candidate forum earlier this year that Democratic chairs “aren’t a thing. They exist, but they do not disrupt the flow of conservative legislation.” Kuempel, R-Seguin, was forced into a runoff against challenger Alan Schoolcraft, a former state lawmaker. The debate over Democratic chairs emerged as a major flashpoint in the primary, evolving from a pet issue of a small but vocal minority to a mainstay item in hardline candidates’ stump speeches. Oliverson was the only House Republican who did not cast a vote on Paxton’s impeachment on corruption and bribery charges last year, sidestepping an issue that has driven a wedge between Phelan’s allies and the party’s right flank.

Lindsey Graham Shrugs Off ‘Catch-and-Kill’ Scheme to Help Trump Win Election

texas house speaker

The No. 2 Republican at the time did not have the votes, and the No. 3 declined to run. The chairman of the Appropriations Committee was nominated by the party conference but withdrew after a magazine story accused him of marital infidelity. But this time around several Democrats have indicated they would cross the aisle to support Johnson and frustrate Greene & Co. if it came to a vote. Democratic leaders have indicated they are open to this, and it essentially repeats the strategy that allowed Johnson to pass the Ukraine portion of the aid bill earlier this month.

And just shy of his fourth anniversary in the job, he was voted out by the full House Republican conference in December 1998. Oliverson said he has a track record of “extreme bipartisanship,” though he said he would also push to ensure that the next speaker is elected solely by Republicans, rather than a two-party coalition that selects a more moderate leader. Speaker Joe Straus, last elected in 2017, used this method to remain in power — though some Republicans viewed it as a betrayal of conservative voters. He replaced Republican Dennis Bonnen who did not run for reelection in 2020 following the release of a secretly recorded conversation in which he was heard seeking help to defeat members of his own party. He has earned numerous additional accolades in recognition of his legislative service, including Capitol Inside's "Most Valuable Sophomore Member" in 2017 and as one of their "Most Outstanding Freshmen Legislators" in 2015. His wife, Kim, is a solo practitioner attorney and together they have four sons, Ford, Mack, Hank and Luke.

The House elected Phelan with a vote of 143-3, with three votes going to State Rep. Tony Tinderholt (R-Arlington). "While we may be on opposite sides of the political aisle, we all reside in the same house. It is the love that we have for our house that makes it our home," Collier said. "And when it comes to our home, we will do what's necessary to take care of it, to protect it. Dade Phelan knows this, because he has the desire to build us up, not tear us down. He wants to bring us together, not divide us." When members cast ballots, the only support for Tinderholt came from the two members who nominated him. All of the members of the ultraconservative House Freedom Caucus appeared to back Phelan; the group has not yet released its roster for this session. He earned the support of every Democrat in the House, including Toni Rose of Dallas, who praised Phelan for supporting her bill in 2021 to expand Medicaid coverage for new mothers.

d Republican joins motion to oust Mike Johnson as House speaker

"This runoff is not just another race, it's the frontline of the battle for the soul of our district," Phelan said in a statement Tuesday evening. "While my opponent hides behind empty rhetoric, dishonest advertising and surrogate voices, I stand before voters with a clear record of service and conservative success." Local news station Fox 7 Austin has confirmed that one of its photographers was arrested on campus during the protests Wednesday. While there have been reports of antisemitism on campuses in recent weeks, protest organizers have blamed such incidents on outside agitators, insisting that their movements are peaceful.

Phelan’s office did not immediately respond to a request for comment on the matter. In the March 5 primary, Covey bested Phelan by roughly 3% of the vote in House District 21, along the Texas Gulf Coast, forcing Phelan to become the first House speaker to face a runoff since the 1970s. The Texas Senate declined to convict and remove Paxton from office, and Paxton — backed by Trump — vowed revenge on those who tried to oust him. Paxton campaigned against Phelan and dozens of other GOP incumbents leading up to Tuesday’s primary. Phelan and Covey were neck and neck in the results early Wednesday, while a third GOP candidate, hairdresser Alicia Davis, won far fewer votes but helped deny both candidates a majority of their party's votes. “This runoff is not a defeat, but rather a call to arms for all who stand for the principles of the America First movement,” Paxton posted on the social media platform X, formerly Twitter.

In 1989 Speaker Jim Wright of Texas resigned under pressure following revelations about a book deal the House Ethics Committee saw as circumventing fundraising rules. Longworth's successor, John "Cactus Jack" Garner of Texas, left the office after just over a year to be Franklin Roosevelt's first vice president. Prior to that, the last Republican speaker had been Nicholas Longworth of Ohio, who died in 1931.

Phelan outraised Covey and, with deep family ties in the district, boasted leading the House during two of the most conservative sessions in living memory. He enjoyed the endorsement of influential political action committees and former Gov. Rick Perry. Oliverson was unopposed in his own Republican primary, and will face Democrat Brett Robinson, a progressive graduate student at the University of Houston, in the November election.

In an evening update, the Texas Department of Public Safety said that 34 arrests had been made by law enforcement on the campus as of 9 p.m. Other buildings on the campus in Arcata are at risk of being occupied, and protesters “have shown a willingness” to lock themselves in facilities and steal equipment, the officials said. House Speaker Mike Johnson called Wednesday for the resignation of the university’s president if she can't "bring order to this chaos." At one point during the demonstrations, tensions escalated as protesters refused to relocate and remove their tents and other prohibited items, a university official said. On Monday, he tweeted an image of himself and Texas Lt. Governor Dan Patrick “working together” on legislative projects.

With a once in a lifetime budget surplus, now is the time to put a down payment on the future of Texas. Like you, I heard some very straightforward concerns from the families in my district. I have heard about the economy, inflation and the difficulty in making ends meet. Ever-increasing property taxes have led many to feel - year-in and year-out - that they are renting their property from the government.

Patrick has given a rough outline of his legislative priorities that include reducing property taxes, securing the border and increasing the resiliency of the electric grid by increasing the production of natural gas in the state. House Speaker Kevin McCarthy in an effort to reform how that chamber is run. He urged Texas House members to choose him as a similar agent of change.

"Instead, he is making up excuse after excuse to avoid facing me directly." While Phelan has accused Covey of "ducking" the debate, Covey has returned fire in kind, saying Phelan is "dodging" an opportunity to address voters' concerns ahead of the May 28 runoff election. Phelan, however, contends that Covey is skirting an opportunity to address Southeast Texas voters in a televised debate, painting his intraparty challenger as a political pawn for outside interests. Texas House Speaker Dade Phelan and his Republican primary runoff challenger, David Covey, are both accusing each other of avoiding a date on the debate stage ahead of the marquee state House election next month. During his first session as the chamber’s leader, he spearheaded the passage of several conservative bills previously thought to be nonstarters.

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