The ongoing fight over Texas House speaker is set to come to a head this week, as lawmakers convene in Austin Tuesday to begin the 2025 Legislative Session. The intra-party battle among Republicans just got nastier, as State Rep. Cody Harris has filed a complaint with the Texas Ethics Commission against the Texas GOP and Chairman Abraham George. The complaint claims George and the party are illegally trying to punish Republican members who don't support party nominee Rep. David Cook for speaker.
Party leadership endorsed Cook for speaker, and Cook won the nomination last month over Rep. Dustin Burrows with a majority of Republican votes. However, Harris is among a group of Republicans who still support Burrows and is trying to get him elected speaker with the help of Democrats. The ethics complaint has the potential to result in serious consequences--including prison time--if the commission rules in Harris' favor. "Essentially Cody Harris is trying to put the Republican Party of Texas chairman in jail, because they are trying to ensure Republicans vote for the Republican (nominee) and don't work with Democrats," says Brandon Waltens, senior editor at Texas Scorecard.
The Texas GOP has threatened to censure any member that does not support the nominee, and has added a rule that censured members cannot run in a primary for two years. "The party is saying look, if you're somebody who is joining with Democrats, pushing Democrat priorities, putting Democrats in charge, then you can't run as a Republican," Waltens tells KTRH. "And that's what has members like Cody Harris so upset."
George and the Texas GOP fired back at Harris, saying they have a legal and constitutional right to set party rules and enforce them, while noting that Harris didn't even attend last year's Republican Convention when the rules were adopted. "I hope the Texas Ethics Commission will do the right thing and reject this baseless complaint," said George in a statement.
Photo: iStock Editorial