Dade Phelan will not be seeking a third term as Texas House speaker

AUSTIN, Texas - The Texas House will have a new speaker for the new term.

House Speaker Dade Phelan announced Friday he is dropping out of the race and will not be seeking a third term.

"It does seem that Speaker Phelan had become a liability to other republicans in the house and there was an effort in the last couple of days, I’m told by some of his senior members of his own team, some of his chairman, an effort to get him to step aside," said Scott Braddock of the Quorum Report.

Phelan released a statement saying in part:

"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".

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"It was pretty obvious by Thursday evening into this morning and here on Friday, that he would be stepping aside, and it would become an open race for speaker as we head into a meeting of the Republican Caucus that is going to be held here in Austin," said Braddock. "Those are the Republican members of the house, they are going to get together to endorse a speaker candidate, and I have no idea how that is going to go."

Under Phelan’s tenure, the House led an impeachment of Attorney General Ken Paxton, did not push through Gov. Greg Abbott’s school voucher plan, and chose a different tax cut plan than Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick’s.

"The main organizing principle for grassroots Republicans who are pushing for the speaker to step aside has to do with the inner working of the house. Those activists would say ‘look Texans elected a Republican majority, and so Republicans should be running the show, whether it is issues like property taxes, school choice’," said Braddock.

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The Texas House currently has 150 members: 88 Republicans and 62 Democrats. The new House speaker will need 76 votes.

"The speaker will be a Republican, it is a majority Republican body, we know that the speaker will be a conservative. What we don't know is exactly who that person is going to be," said Braddock.

Phelan has served four years holding the speakership and many are concerned about his plans after stepping down.

"He will still be a member of the Texas House. Whether he might receive a chairmanship or whether he would go back to being a rank-and-file member that's possible, and we have seen it happen before. There is a lot of baseball left to play here and everybody is just going to have to stay tuned," said Braddock.

A new House speaker will be selected in January.

Read Dade Phelan's full statement below:

"Serving in the Texas House is one of the greatest honors of my life, beginning as a staff member in this Capitol, advancing to represent my community as a state legislator, and ultimately leading for four years as Speaker of the Texas House.

"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. By stepping aside, I believe we create the best opportunity for our members to rally around a new candidate who will uphold the principles that make our House one of the most exceptional, deliberative legislative bodies in the country—a place where honor, integrity, and the right of every member to vote their district takes utmost precedent.

"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. Though the battle for my speakership is over, the war for the integrity of this chamber wages on—and we will win. 

"I will continue to serve in the Texas House of Representatives and look forward to working with my colleagues to nominate a candidate who can best unite the House and ensure our beloved chamber remains a beacon of integrity and conservative leadership in the 89th Legislature."