Ana-Maria Ramos Makes Bold Bid For Texas House Speaker
Progressive leadership takes center stage in Texas and the Speaker race gets more interesting.
On Saturday, the Texas Progressive Caucus held its Q3 meeting. During that meeting, Representative Ana-Maria Ramos announced that she planned on running for House speaker. Here is the press release she put out this morning:
Several months ago, I said I would love to see Representative Ramos run for Speaker, but I was convinced that if we flipped the House, Joe Moody or Ann Johnson would likely throw their names in. Why did I say I would love to see Rep. Ramos run as Speaker? We’ll get into that, but we must get into the other speaker updates first.
Since we last discussed the Speaker’s race, two more House Republicans have announced their bid for speakership:
James Frank (R-Wichita Falls)
John Smithee (R-Amarillo)
There are now a total of six Republicans who have announced their candidacy for Speaker. (You can laugh. It’s funny.)
Why I love Ana-Maria Ramos and think she would be a great speaker:
Lone Star Left is a progressive publication. I have progressive ideals and am a member of the Texas Progressive Caucus. Ana-Maria Ramos is the chairwoman of the Texas Legislative Progressive Caucus, so her ideals align closely with mine. But I love this because of how she handles herself in the House chamber.
She has never been scared or shied away from a fight on the House floor. When Republicans attempt to push their extreme, right-wing agenda, you can count on Rep. Ramos to take the back mic and hold them accountable every single time.
When the GOP tries to shove fascism down Texans’ throats, Ana-Maria Ramos pushes back—hard. She doesn’t mince words, and she doesn’t let the GOP’s fear-mongering or power plays intimidate her. She calls out extremism for what it is and refuses to let it pass without a fight.
What I admire most about her is her unwavering moral compass. Even in the face of immense pressure, she sticks to her values and always does what is right, not what is convenient or politically expedient. Rep. Ramos is a rare force of integrity, transparency, and courage in a legislature filled with compromise and deals made behind closed doors.
Check out the ad she just dropped:
How Rep. Ramos’ peers in the House have handled the news of her announcing her candidacy:
Before the news broke of Rep. Ramos’ candidacy for Speaker and it was just a rumor that a Democrat planned on running, two House Democrats made vague comments about “math” on social media. I won’t call them out specifically because I like both Democrats and don’t want to cause drama.
Their vague comments insinuated that a Democrat shouldn’t be running for Speaker because, as of now, Democrats do not control the House. We would need 76 Democrats to be in total control and have the numbers to elect a speaker. (Only the 150 House members can vote for the Speaker, so it’s an internal race in the Texas House. Pre-election, Democrats have 64 House members.)
I’m sorry, but aren’t you also fighting to flip the House? Because thousands of Democrats across the state are working tirelessly to flip the 12 House seats we need to secure a victory.
Democrats should be in the mindset of winning. More so, they should be working to elect other House Democrats in their area, not discouraging bold moves like this. The fight to flip the House is not just about numbers; it’s about leadership, vision, and showing Texans that we have strong, principled candidates ready to lead.
If we concede the fight before it begins, what message does that send to the voters and activists working so hard on the ground? We should rally around strong leaders like Ramos and not doubt our potential for victory.
Ramos’ announcement took cajones. It took vision. It took the belief in a better and bluer Texas.
The Republicans’ reaction to Rep. Ramos’ announcement shows how out of touch they are with the momentum for change in Texas.
The Republicans’ campaign strategy thus far this year has been to ignore Democrats and attack each other. It seems to be working out well for them, and it’s a lot of entertainment for us, but they’ve gotten too comfortable in their role as the majority.
Several Republican members and influencers yesterday discussed how Ana-Maria Ramos’ announcement meant one less vote for Dade Phelan as Speaker. 🤦🏻♀️
It never clicked with them that Rep. Ramos announced her candidacy for Speaker because Democrats are attempting to flip the House.
While we’re seeing top Republican figures like Greg Abbott and Ken Paxton panicking over a possible blue wave in November, House Republicans seem bent on continuing to pretend that Democrats don’t exist.
But can we flip 12 seats?
Here are all of the House seats that are within 10-points of flipping:
After the 2021 redistricting, 19 House seats were within 10 points of flipping. Only one is unopposed this year. Most of these seats are in urban and suburban areas with rapid growth and diversification.
I’ve spoken with Democratic candidates this year in districts with more than a 10-point Republican advantage, and they feel confident that they can flip their seats based on the voucher issue, Republican extremism, and the rapid growth in their area.
Here are the seats that have a 10 to 20-point Republican advantage (based on the 2021 redistricting):
Are there 12 flippable seats?
Yes, absolutely, yes. Will 12 seats flip? We’ll know in November. But Democrats in office should be campaigning with the candidates in some of these flippable seats—many of them are.
So we’re all clear: If Democrats can flip 12 seats, they gain control of the Texas House and ultimately stop the Republican agenda in Texas.
The Speaker’s race is pushing some Republican Representatives further right.
The “Contract on Texas” is a vile plan by Republicans to remove political power from communities of color in Texas. You can read more about it here:
Since announcing their candidacy for Speaker, David Cook and John Smithee have added their name to the “Contract on Texas.”
This plan will not only strip away chairmanships from Democrats in the House but also put all Democratic bills on the back burner until Republicans pass their priorities. It throws all notions of bipartisanship out the window. It’s a complete fascist takeover of the Texas House.
Everything about the “Contract on Texas” goes entirely against the principles of democracy.
While James Frank hasn’t signed the “Contract on Texas,” he released a statement saying he agrees with denying Democrats committee chairmanships.
Thus far, Speaker Dade Phelan is the only Republican who will give chairmanships to Democrats.
What is going to happen?
If Democrats do not flip the 12 seats, Republicans will remain in control. None of the six Republican candidates will have the Republican votes to win the speaker election (they’ll need 76), so they’ll need Democrats’ votes to win.
Democrats will not vote for any speaker who plans to remove chairmanships from them. Which, at this point, leaves Dade Phelan as the only viable Republican Speaker.
However, we should all work collaboratively to flip at least 12 seats to give Democrats the House. Until the last ballot is counted in November, Democrats shouldn’t make any deals with Republicans.
Carroll Robinson, a Houston activist and former candidate for Texas Democratic Party Chair, has been telling Democrats for years to stop making deals with Republicans regarding the Speaker’s race and let them flounder on their own. This may be a conversation worth having before January, depending on what happens in the election.
If we flip 12 seats, Democrats will take the House, and they will also take the speakership.
So, if we win, then we’ll have a Democratic Speaker?
That’s the idea. Over the weekend, I was so excited that Representative Ramos made this announcement that I immediately messaged her and expressed wanting to endorse her. She reminded me that the 150 House Reps choose the Speaker.
While most of the Democrats in the Texas Legislature follow me on social media, I’m not sure a simple endorsement would help me pursue them. So, I’ll explain why I think Ana-Maria Ramos is a perfect choice for a speaker.
The number one reason is that Texas Democrats are typically progressive. The majority of Democratic voters lean more left than center. We know this to be a fact based on the last Texas Democratic Convention when the Texas Democratic Party passed one of the most progressive platforms in the country.
You might say that proves more about the party than voters, but remember that most state delegates are comprised of elected officials, county party chairs, and precinct chairs—all elected positions. I would argue that the state platform does represent the will of Democratic voters in Texas.
If Democrats flip 12 seats and take control, they should elect a progressive member as Speaker to reflect the values of the majority of Texas Democratic voters. With the GOP’s complete embrace of Project 2025 and authoritarian policies, we should be concerned that a moderate or Conservative Democrat would do too much to appease the right.
It’s also important to note:
There has never been a woman speaker in the history of Texas.
There has never been a Hispanic speaker in Texas’ history.
Ana-Maria Ramos is a progressive Latina who believes in “We, the people.”
If we flip the House, will Rep. Ramos have any Democratic challengers?
Right now, between Rep. Ramos and the six Republicans running, seven House members are vying for speakership. This is also the most candidates for the position of Speaker in Texas history (per the Legislative Reference Library).
Earlier, I mentioned Joe Moody (D-HD78) and Ann Johnson (D-HD134) as potential candidates for Speaker. Moody served as Speaker Pro Tempore, and Johnson became a breakout star during Ken Paxton’s impeachment. Like Ramos, both are attorneys, but neither are progressive.
Then, over the weekend, while speculating who could be the potential Democrat to announce, Representative James Talarico’s name came up quite a bit. While Talarico is progressive, I’m not sure that “Speaker” is on his current path. And every other Speaker in history has been a white man. (Yes, we’re going there.)
If Democrats flip the House, they can prove to the state that Democrats believe in diversity and will embrace leadership, which reflects Texas, a majority-minority state.
Ana-Maria Ramos checks all the boxes.
As we move toward the November election, it’s clear that the stakes couldn’t be higher.
The Texas House is within our reach, and so is the chance for real, transformative leadership. I’ll hold off on my official endorsement until after the election results are in. Still, if things continue on this trajectory, I can say without hesitation that I’m leaning strongly toward favoring Ana-Maria Ramos as Speaker. Her bold vision, moral clarity, and refusal to back down in the face of extremism are exactly what we need to steer Texas in a progressive direction. This is the kind of leadership our state deserves.
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