Republicans control the Texas Legislature, and soon they will control all committees in the upper chamber. Houston Mayor-Elect John Whitmire was the last Democrat committee chair in the Texas Senate, heading up the Criminal Justice Committee. But with Whitmire's departure, Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick is vowing to appoint only Republicans to committee chairs from now on. Patrick allowed Whitmire to be grandfathered in because of Whitmire's decades of leadership on the Criminal Justice Committee.
At the same time, the Texas House will continue to include several Democrat chairs appointed by Speaker Dade Phelan. Phelan has faced strong criticism from Patrick, the state GOP, and others for watering down the GOP's majority by giving power roles to Democrats. Steve Munisteri, former Texas GOP Chair, tells KTRH that Patrick and Phelan are dealing with completely different dynamics between the Senate and House. "In the Senate, the Lt. Governor is elected by the voters, and so he knows upon election he is going to be the leader of that chamber, whereas in the House the speaker is picked by the representatives who can throw him out at any time," says Munisteri. "So (the speaker) has to build coalitions and try to keep more members happy."
As for what happens with Whitmire's seat, Gov. Greg Abbott will likely call a special election for early next year, with the winner having to defend the seat months later in the fall, when the full term is up. "I think that particular senate seat will remain Democratic, so it's not going to alter the makeup of the senate chamber," says Munisteri. "I wouldn't be surprised though, if the senator that replaces Whitmire isn't more to the left than Whitmire."
"But overall, that chamber in the senate is still a conservative majority, so I don't think it's going to have that big a practical effect coming up in the next session," he continues.
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