Betrayals, Backstabbing, And Burrows: Texas Politics At Its Finest

Inside the GOP’s infighting over the next Texas House Speaker.

Republican in-fighting is by far my favorite blood sport. It’s like watching a soap opera where everyone is a villain, the plot twists are predictable but still wildly entertaining, and the audience is left wondering who will backstab whom next. Yesterday, the Republican Caucus met at the Capitol to vote on who they would support as House Speaker. Simultaneously, the Republican Party of Texas (RPT) was conducting its quarterly SREC meeting.

For a Republican in the Caucus to win the Speaker nomination, they held several votes. According to their rules, a member would need 2/3 votes for the first two rounds of votes to secure the win. After that, the following two votes dropped to 3/5 to win.

What’s the purpose of this? To win Speaker of the House on the first day of the Legislative Session (January 14), a Speaker would need 76 votes to secure the win. Well, it’s no coincidence that the RPT met on the same day as the Republican Caucus.

After the Republican Caucus met, the RPT was to endorse the winning Republican, and every GOP House member is expected to vote for their endorsement on January 14th.

But what happened?

The first Caucus vote:

• David Cook (R-HD96) - 48

• Dustin Burrows (R-HD83) - 40

The second Caucus vote:

• David Cook - 47

• Dustin Burrows - 41

That’s when 26 Republicans walked out of the meeting, breaking quorum. Why did they do this? Who knows? The meeting was happening behind closed doors, and there was probably a lot of infighting.

After that, the remaining Republicans declared David Cook the winner and their choice for Speaker in the 89th Legislative Session.

David Cook released a statement listing his 56 supporters, declaring himself the winner.

Again, when the Session starts on January 14, the Speaker needs 76 votes to win.

After Cook won the votes within the Caucus, the RPT passed a resolution endorsing him and saying that any Republican who didn’t vote for David Cook would be censured.

Here is the full resolution.

This is so funny because the RPT also has a rule that says any Republican member who gets censured cannot run in the Republican primary for two years (as a Republican).

Meanwhile, while all of this was going on, Dustin Burrows released his own statement, showing that he has 76 votes for Speaker: 38 Republicans and 38 Democrats.

Now, before everyone gets all wound up, it should be noted that Charles Cunningham’s (R-HD127), Don McLaughlin’s (R-HD80), and Jeff Barry’s (R-HD29) names are on both Cook’s and Burrow’s lists. It’s been reported that McLaughlin and Gary Gates (R-HD28), plus as many as eight other Republicans, have asked to be removed from Burrow’s list.

It also should be noted that Democrat Josey Garcia (HD124) released a statement saying she has not endorsed anyone for Speaker:

Is Dustin Burrows a big, fat liar?

He’s a Republican. Are there any honest Republicans in a post-Trump world? It appears that Burrows was making a power move by stating he had support when he possibly did not.

Representative Ana-Maria Ramos (D-HD102) also put out a statement last night, blasting her Democratic peers for supporting Burrows.

Is Dustin Burrows a fascist? If you believe that a fascist is an individual who supports or advocates for fascism, a far-right, authoritarian political ideology characterized by dictatorial power, forcible suppression of opposition, strong regimentation of society and the economy, and often nationalism or xenophobia—then, yeah, Dustin Burrows is probably a fascist.

Burrows’ history and voting record include the Death Star Bill, anti-gun sense, anti-women, and anti-healthcare.

But we have to remember that Democrats are in the minority and have very little control over what the majority is doing. When backed into a corner, they have to choose the route that does the least harm.

If Burrows promised them to block vouchers, stop the ban on teachers’ unions’ ability to lobby, or anything else, it would be better for them to go with Burrows, despite him being a fascist…

You have to remember that David Cook’s camp signed the “Contract on Texas,” which is a malicious plan to stop Democrats from not only holding chairmanships but also preventing any Democratic bills from being heard before all of the Republican priorities are passed. The Republicans who signed the “Contract on Texas” are calling themselves the “Reformers.”

For many of us, making deals with a fascist feels really gross and dirty, but for Democrats in the House, what other option do they have?

If they completely abstain from the voting process, one of the “Reformers” could win. Then, they would block every bill by all 62 Democrats, who were duly elected, because that was one of the priorities passed at the 2024 Texas Republican Convention.

Which Democrats allegedly pledged to support Dustin Burrows?

I say “allegedly” because we don’t know if Burrows is telling the truth or if he added names without permission or agreement. My House Rep is on this list. If yours is also, you might consider calling their office this week to ask about it. It boils down to how you feel about the situation. Even among Lone Star Left readers, I could see how each person might feel differently.

• Rafael Anchia (D-HD103)

• Diego Bernal (D-HD123)

• Salman Bhojani (D-HD92)

• Rhetta Bowers (D-HD113)

• Liz Campos (D-HD119)

• Terry Canales (D-HD40)

• Sheryl Cole (D-HD46)

• Philip Cortez (D-HD117)

• Harold Dutton (D-HD142)

• Erin Gamez (D-HD38)

• Josey Garcia

• Linda Garcia (D-HD107)

• Mary Gonzalez (D-HD75)

• Bobby Guerra (D-HD41)

• Ana Hernandez (D-HD143)

• Cassandra Garcia Hernandez (D-HD115)

• Donna Howard (D-HD48)

• Ann Johnson (D-HD134)

• Suleman Lalani (D-HD76)

• Oscar Longoria (D-HD35)

• Christian Manuel (D-HD22)

• Armando Martinez (D-HD39)

• Joe Moody (D-HD78)

• Eddie Morales (D-HD74)

• Sergio Munoz (D-HD36)

• Claudia Ordaz (D-HD79)

• Mary Ann Perez (D-HD144)

• Vince Perez (D-HD77)

• Mihaela Plesa (D-HD70)

• Richard Raymond (D-HD42)

• Toni Rose (D-HD110)

• Jon Rosenthal (D-HD135)

• Lauren Simmons (D-HD146)

• James Talarico (D-HD50)

• Chris Turner (D-HD101)

• Armando Walle (D-HD140)

• Erin Zwiener (D-HD45)

If you aren’t sure who your Representative is, find out here.

Ideologically, this list of Democrats is all over the board. Both Conservative and Progressive Democrats are on this list, which is why I’m more inclined to think Burrows unwittingly stuck some of them on there.

Maybe these Democrats feel that by getting behind Burrows, they will be able to stop some of the Republicans’ damage to Texas. Their choices are limited.

It should be noted, however, that the newly elected House Democratic Caucus Chairman Gene Wu is not on this list, nor is the previous Caucus Chairman Trey Martinez Fischer. Nor is John Bryant, who recently gave an interview about not bowing down to Republicans.

In the end, this entire debacle highlights the chaotic state of Texas politics and the precarious position Democrats find themselves in.

They’re stuck navigating a no-win scenario: align with a Republican like Burrows, who is a dangerous ideologue but promises concessions, or risk empowering the far-right “Reformers,” who have openly declared their intent to crush any semblance of bipartisanship. Meanwhile, the Republican Party continues to spiral into factional warfare, with its internal fractures spilling out into public view.

For Texas Democrats, this isn’t about ideological purity—it’s about survival in a system designed to shut them out. Whether Burrows’ claims hold up or fall apart under scrutiny, one thing is clear: this fight is just beginning, and the consequences of these backroom deals will shape the state's future for years to come. In this blood sport, there are no clean hands, only calculated risks.

• December 9: House Administration Committee meets to debate rules.

• January 14: The 89th Legislative Session begins.

• March 14: The last day Legislators can file bills.

• June 2: The 89th Legislative Session ends.

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