Good afternoon, John –
After the opening day of our state’s legislative session last week, you may have found yourself feeling discouraged, outraged, or just flat-out betrayed by the results of the speaker’s race.
Well, that’s exactly how the uniparty forces of establishmentarians in the Texas House want you to feel. Texas conservatives are being told to surrender. Give up. Go home. It’s over.
This sentiment may have been common in the 30 years leading up to this moment… But as a journalist, a political observer, and a policy nerd, I can tell you what happened in the Texas House on January 14, 2025, was nothing short of historic.
Still, many newcomers to Texas politics don’t realize that this moment was actually the death rattle of the uniparty. Did you know that the Straus-Bonnen protege, Dade Phelan, won the speaker’s race 145 to 3 during the last legislative session? Or that the closest a challenger has ever come to defeating a uniparty speaker amounted to a mere 19 votes in 2015?
This time, the challenger, David Cook, had 55 votes — that is to say, a majority of the Texas House GOP Caucus stood with a Republican rather than a Democrat lackey.
The drastic change is a direct result of last year’s primary elections, where voters sent two dozen crony Republicans packing, expanding the conservative majority in the Texas House and Senate.
The cronies are losing, and they know it. For the citizens, though, giving up now would be foolish. If anything, we should continue engaging with our friends, family, and neighbors about what’s really been happening at the Capitol in Austin.
Texas Scorecard exists to make sure this trend in citizen education continues. By regularly publishing important articles, commentaries, podcasts, and high-quality documentaries, we are putting the power back in the hands of real Texans.
Over the next 130 days, we will be in Austin, bringing you the stories from the legislature that directly impact you, your family, and your community. Can Texas Scorecard count on your support during this crucial time?
Your support of $125, $76, or just $25 gives us the power to ramp up our coverage and ensure hundreds of thousands of Texans get the information they need to hold their lawmakers accountable!
Thank you for your support of Texas Scorecard. Together, we will make sure citizens are informed and engaged.
For Texas,
Michael Quinn Sullivan
