'Every member has a voice': Rep. David Cook working to gain support from Democratic colleagues

AUSTIN (Nexstar) -- In less than two weeks the newest Texas Legislature will be sworn in at the state Capitol and the first important item on the to-do list for state representatives will be picking the next Speaker of the House.

The race is between House Republican Caucus nominee state Rep. David Cook, R-Mansfield, and state Rep. Dustin Burrows, R-Lubbock. The competition between the two has created a split among House Republicans on who to support.

Cook has support from a majority of the 88 House Republicans but does not have the 76 votes needed for Speakership. Burrows has support from a smaller list of House Republicans but is hoping for House Democratic support to lift him over the 76-vote threshold. Right now, it is unclear if any of the two have enough support to win the position.

After the House Republican Caucus vote in December, the House Democratic Caucus released a statement saying, "Democratic members have been released to support the Speaker candidate of their choice, except for David Cook."

However, in a Jan. 2 letter sent to House Democrats, Cook said, "While you may not be aware of all the conversations happening, I can assure you that I have support amongst Democratic members." Cook does not list any names in the letter.

The letter was addressed to the outgoing House Democratic Caucus chair state Rep. Trey Martinez-Fischer, D-San Antonio. Martinez-Fischer is urging his fellow Democratic lawmakers to unite so they can have leverage in the Speaker race.

"If we will unite and have a common cause and get behind a candidate that's going to be fair, pragmatic, and govern in a way that our constituents expect us to. That's what we should be doing," Martinez-Fischer said.

When asked if he believes Cook truly has any Democratic supporters, Martinez-Fischer said, "It would be a shock to me to know that there are folks willing to support anybody who is not going to give our team an equal shake and fair consideration to be a member of the leadership team."

Cook addresses public education funding in his letter to find common ground with his Democratic colleagues. Although he is a supporter of school choice, he says he believes the House needs to address critical education reforms like raising salaries for teachers, revamping or phasing out the STAAR test, and transitioning to an enrollment-based funding system as opposed to the current attendance-based funding system. But will Democrats trust him to follow through if elected?

"Passing the House is just the start. Getting an idea through the Senate and getting an idea on the Governor's desk and signed into law -- there are a lot of if's there," Martinez-Fischer explained.

The Speaker race is often ceremonial as the controlling party will usually select its nominee for the Speakership and unanimously elect them into the position. That does not appear to be what will happen in this legislative session. In fact, we may not know for sure who will win the position until votes are counted on Jan. 14, the first day of the session.

Texas Attorney General to rally for Cook

Martinez-Fischer describes the Speaker race as not a game of skill, but a game of math. There are 62 Democrats in the Texas House, and a Speaker candidate only needs 76 votes to win the position. With the 88 House Republican members not united on who to support, it opens the door for Democratic House members to have a say in the vote. Burrows would only need 14 Republican members to side with him if he is able to get unanimous support from Democratic members, but even that is not a guarantee right now.

State Republican leaders do not want to see that happen and are urging its members to get in line with the party and elect Cook, who was able to secure the Republican Caucus nomination. The Texas GOP has already started running attack ads against Burrows in his home district to encourage him to drop out of the race.

Starting next week, Abraham George, the Texas Republican Party chair, and Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton will go on a two-day, four-city rally around the state to drive up support for Cook. The rallies are strategically placed in districts that are home to some House Republicans who have not come out to support Cook in the Speaker race.

The posters advertising the event on the Texas GOP X account read, "Join Chairman George and Attorney General Ken Paxton to hear about a small group of Republicans currently trying to cut a deal with Democrats to control the Texas House."

"We want to make it very clear to our representatives and the people of where we stand as far as the Speaker race," George explained. Paxton and George will start in Fort Worth and Tyler on Monday, and then go to Leander and The Woodlands on Tuesday.