Texas GOP Rule Lets Them Ban Upstarts From Primaries

The Texas Tribune reports:

In an already heated race for Texas House Speaker, state GOP officials are hoping to wield new powers that would ensure their preferred candidate wins — and give them unprecedented control over who can run in Republican primaries.

Last week, the Republican Party of Texas implied it would censure any GOP Texas House member who does not vote for Rep. David Cook [photo] as speaker. Under new party rules, that would bar those lawmakers from running in Republican primaries for two years.

The party’s statement came amid an ongoing and intense race between Cook, who was endorsed last week by a majority of the House Republican Caucus, and Rep. Dustin Burrows, a Lubbock Republican who says he has enough bipartisan support in the 150-member House to reach the 76 votes needed to become speaker.

Read the full article. Cook appeared here last year for his bill that would oust elected prosecutors for supporting abortion rights. The new rule is expected to face legal challenges.

Amid a civil war, the Texas GOP recently passed new rules that ban censured lawmakers and judges from primaries for two years. Now, the party is threatening to use the rules against dozens of House Republicans who support a more moderate GOP House Speaker.https://t.co/GroGfsaWfg

— Robert Downen (@RobertDownen_) December 13, 2024