Now that Texas Speaker of the House Joe Straus has announced he will not seek re-election next year, political pundits are predicting who might replace him.
Rice University's Mark Jones said Speaker Straus is a moderate-Republican with different political ideology of the governor and lieutenant governor.
“If I had to place my money on anyone, I would place my money on Dennis Bonnen from down in Angleton, Brazoria County. He’s ideologically in the sweet spot for a Texas Republican member of the House, and he’s also somebody who’s demonstrated considerable leadership ability during the past few sessions,” said Jones.
Jones says with Straus gone, this means a shift to the right in the 2019 legislative session.