House Republicans who are not pleased with House Speaker Dade Phelan have thrown their support behind a new candidate. Representative David Cook, a Mansfield Republican, was chosen by 48 representatives and nominees for House districts as their top choice for the Speaker of the House position.
Cook managed to outshine other GOP lawmakers who were also competing for the speakership. Phelan has been under fire from some conservative members of his party for his decision to assign Democrats to lead certain House committees.
According to James Barragán, a politics reporter for the Texas Tribune, Cook is relatively new in the Legislature, with only a few sessions under his belt. He was the preferred candidate at the meeting of Republican lawmakers who oppose Phelan. Despite there being four contenders, David Cook emerged as the winner.
While Cook’s bid for Speaker of the House could pose a challenge to Phelan, who has held the position since 2021, the level of support he has remains uncertain. Typically, in speaker races, supporters pledge their allegiance, but in this case, the names of Cook’s supporters have not been made public. This makes it unclear how much backing he actually has and what implications this may have for Phelan going forward.
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