1 month ago
20
U.S.|Texas House Speaker, Targeted by the Right, Drops Bid for Another Term
https://www.nytimes.com/2024/12/06/us/texas-house-speaker-dade-phelan.html
You have a preview view of this article while we are checking your access. When we have confirmed access, the full article content will load.
In the long-running war inside the Texas G.O.P., Dade Phelan survived a primary against a Trump-backed novice. But his increasingly conservative caucus turned against him.
Dec. 6, 2024, 3:47 p.m. ET
The speaker of the Texas House, Dade Phelan, on Friday dropped his bid to continue his leadership, bowing to pressure from hard-right members of the Republican caucus.
Mr. Phelan, 49, has been one of the most powerful elected officials in Texas, and has steered the legislature in a more conservative direction on issues such as immigration, abortion, guns, religion and elections.
But he frequently clashed with hard-right Republicans — including, most bitterly, with Ken Paxton, the attorney general — who complained that he was insufficiently conservative. And though Mr. Phelan survived a bruising primary runoff in May against a first-time candidate backed by President-elect Donald J. Trump, he lost support this week from key allies, jeopardizing his chances of prevailing on Saturday, when Texas House Republicans convene to pick a new speaker.
“Out of deep respect for this institution and its members, and after careful consideration and private consultation with colleagues, I have made the difficult decision to withdraw from the race for Speaker of the Texas House,” Mr. Phelan said in a statement. He said that he would work with his colleagues to “nominate a candidate who can best unite the House and ensure our beloved chamber remains a beacon of integrity and conservative leadership.”
Mr. Phelan, who has represented a district in southeast Texas since 2015, said that he would remain in the House. He also alluded to the exorbitant cost of intraparty battles: West Texas oil and gas billionaires and out-of-state school-choice advocates spent millions of dollars to back his challenger, David Covey, while Mr. Phelan benefited from deep-pocketed Republican megadonors like Miriam Adelson, the Las Vegas casino magnate.
“I am profoundly grateful to those who have supported me throughout my speakership — principled conservatives who have shown steadfast resolve and courage in the face of immense intimidation from outsiders wishing to influence our chamber and its processes,” he said. “Though the battle for my speakership is over, the war for the integrity of this chamber wages on — and we will win.”
