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SAN ANTONIO — Several top state Republican officials took aim at Texas House Speaker Dade Phelan on Thursday as the state party kicked off its biennial convention, intensifying the Texas GOP civil war days ahead of Phelan’s primary runoff.
Party Chair Matt Rinaldi, Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick and Attorney General Ken Paxton were the morning’s star speakers. All three of them called for a change of leadership in the Texas House.
Phelan, a Republican from Beaumont, is fighting for his political life in a primary that culminates next week. Despite a series of GOP wins under Phelan’s leadership, including the state’s abortion ban, critics say Phelan’s tenure hasn’t been conservative enough.
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Under outgoing chair Matt Rinaldi, the party’s donor base has shrunk as it aligns with two far-right megadonors.
The House impeached Paxton last year and rejected school vouchers and other Republican Party of Texas priorities, leading members of the more conservative faction of the party to blame Phelan. They accuse him of handing control of the House to Democrats.
“As lieutenant governor, I do not want to run the House, but I want a conservative Republican to be speaker who will run the House,” said Patrick, who oversees the Senate, which has a more conservative reputation than the lower chamber.
Addressing the convention hall, Patrick said Republicans need to stop giving Democrats power to help decide the speaker. Currently, all members of the House vote on the speaker, meaning that Democrats regularly play a major role in deciding who will lead the chamber — paving the way for a more moderate Republican.
“I mean, what do you all work for, to let the House be run by Democrats?” Patrick said.
Patrick called for House Republicans to follow the caucus rules “that say only Republicans can pick the speaker.” He said 76 Republicans, the equivalent of a majority in the House, should pick the speaker.
“Dade Phelan was twice selected by a supermajority of the House Republican Caucus as their candidate for speaker prior to being elected Speaker by the full Texas House,” Phelan spokesperson Cait Wittman told the Tribune. “This is exactly the process that is already in place.”
Phelan, who was censured by the Texas GOP in February, did not attend the convention Thursday.
Patrick, who openly feuded with Phelan during the legislative session, has been aggressive in trying to get him booted out of office. At the end of last month, Patrick’s campaign gave $100,000 to Phelan’s primary runoff challenger, David Covey, part of a crop of millions in donations and third-party dollars that have made the race one of the most, if not the most, expensive state House races in Texas history.
Although Phelan reelection is in question, he’s already facing a speakership challenge from state Rep. Tom Oliverson, a Republican from Cypress who is a neighbor of and shares a consultant with Patrick. Oliverson is also one of Phelan’s committee chairs.
Rinaldi, who is not running for reelection as chair, attacked Phelan by name and shouted out Oliverson for making the state party priority of banning Democrats from committee chairmanships part of his campaign platform, one facet of Republicans’ plan to reduce the influence of Democratic members over House lawmaking.
“Last year, House Speaker Dade Phelan handed political power in the Texas House to Democrats,” Rinaldi said. “He went to war with the Texas GOP, lieutenant governor and Texas Senate and, without process or evidence, impeached the best Republican attorney general in the nation.”
“In the House, we actually have a candidate for speaker, in Dr. Tom Oliverson, who’s made sole Republican control of committees a central plank in his platform,” he continued.
In Paxton’s speech, he immediately attacked Phelan, accusing him of killing border security, property tax relief, school choice and election integrity bills last year.
“Dade’s plan, and the plan of his Democratic cohorts in the Texas House and the plan of the Biden administration, failed dramatically,” Paxton said. “Now, almost exactly a year later, I am still the Texas attorney general, and Dade Phelan is about to lose not only the speakership, but also his House seat.”
Voting FAQ: 2024 Elections
When is the next election? What dates do I need to know?
Election Day for the general election is November 5, and early voting will run from Oct. 21 to Nov. 1. The deadline to register to vote and/or change your voter registration address is Oct. 7. Applications to vote by mail must be received by your county of residence – not postmarked – by Oct. 25.
What’s on the ballot for the general election?
In addition to the president, eligible Texans have the opportunity to cast their ballots for many Texas officials running for office at the federal, state and local levels.
This includes representatives in the U.S. and Texas houses and the following elected offices:
-1 U.S Senator (Ted Cruz)
– 1 of 3 Railroad Commissioners
– 15 State Senators
– 7 State Board of Education members
– 3 members of the Texas Supreme Court
– 3 members of the Texas Court of Criminal Appeals
– 5 Chief Justices and various justices for Texas Courts of Appeals
Lower-level judges and local county offices will also appear on the ballot:
– Various district judges, including on criminal and family courts
– County Courts at Law
– Justices of the Peace
– District Attorneys
– County Attorneys
– Sheriffs
– Constables
– Tax Assessor-Collectors
How do I make sure I’m registered to vote?
You can check to see if you’re registered and verify your information through the Texas Secretary of State’s website. You’ll need one of the following three combinations to log in: Your Texas driver’s license number and date of birth. Your first and last names, date of birth and county you reside in. Your date of birth and Voter Unique Identifier, which appears on your voter registration certificate.
What if I missed the voter registration deadline?
You must be registered to vote in a Texas county by Oct. 7 to vote in the Nov. 5 presidential election. You can still register for other elections.
If you’re registered but didn’t update your address by the deadline, you may still be able to vote at your previous voting location or on a limited ballot. (Voters are typically assigned precincts based on where they live. In most major counties, voters can vote anywhere on Election Day, but some counties require you vote within your precinct. If that is the case, you may have to return to your previous precinct. See which counties allow countywide Election Day voting here. You can usually find your precinct listed on your voter registration certificate or on when checking your registration online.)
If you moved from one county to another, you may be able to vote on a ballot limited to the elections you would qualify to vote in at both locations, such as statewide races. However, limited ballots are only available during early voting. Find your county election official here and contact them to ask about or request a limited ballot.
What can I do if I have questions about voting?
You can contact your county elections official or call the Texas Secretary of State’s helpline at 1-800-252-VOTE (8683). A coalition of voting rights groups is also helping voters navigate election concerns through the 866-OUR-VOTE (687-8683) voter-protection helpline. The coalition also has hotlines available for voters who speaker other languages or have accessibility needs.
For help in Spanish, call 888-VE-Y-VOTA or 888-839-8682.
For help in Asian languages, call 888-API-VOTE or 888-274-8683.
For help in Arabic, call 888-YALLA-US or 888-925-5287.
For help in American Sign Language through a video, call 301-818-VOTE or 301-818-8683.
For help from Disability Rights Texas, call 888-796-VOTE or 888-796-8683.
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