AUSTIN (KXAN) -- With one week until the legislative session begins, a contentious battle for power in the Texas House of Representatives continues. Now, Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton is speaking up about who he believes lawmakers should choose to serve as the chamber's next speaker.
Paxton joined top Republican party leaders at several rallies across Texas this week, speaking out in support of Rep. David Cook, R-Mansfield, for the role. In a rally in Leander on Tuesday afternoon, the attorney general said his main goal is to unite the party, which has been divided over the choice.
As KXAN has previously reported, Cook has support from a majority of the 88 House Republicans but does not have the 76 votes needed for Speakership. Burrows has support from a smaller list of House Republicans but is hoping for House Democratic support to lift him over the 76-vote threshold. Right now, it is unclear if any of the two have enough support to win the position.
The schism centers around the party's desire to eliminate the practice of allowing some Democrats to hold committee chairs. GOP chairman Abraham George said it's something the party has supported for several years. Paxton said he believes conservative leadership will have statewide and even nationwide effects.
"I want to make sure the Republican House elects a Republican speaker among themselves, and that's my goal. Whoever they elect — that's their choice; it's not mine. I'm not elected to make that choice. But I do want them to make a choice amongst the caucus. I think that's the only way I can accomplish my goals and that every Republican can accomplish the goals that they were elected for," Paxton said.
During the event, several speakers referenced the House as the same legislative body that voted to impeach Paxton in 2023. After the Senate reinstated Paxton to his office, he endorsed at least a dozen people to take down House Republicans who voted for his impeachment.
When asked about Cook's role in the impeachment process, Paxton told reporters, "Rep. Cook apologized. I'm ready to move on."
Paxton noted that his support of Cook is really a reflection of the support of the Republican caucus. He said if, hypothetically, a majority of Republicans threw their weight behind Burrows, he would support the decision -- despite his opinion that Burrows would be a "bad choice."
Earlier this week, NBC DFW spoke to several lawmakers planning to back Burrows, who said they see themselves as defending the state constitution.
"Our founders designed our system to be independent from each other – the chambers. So if one chamber controls the other, that’s not the way it was intended to work," said Rep. Cody Harris, R-Palestine.
“Chairman Burrows believes that every single member of the House is an elected representative of the people and that their voice deserves to be heard," Rep. Jared Patterson, R-Frisco, argued earlier on Lone Star Politics.
Paxton and George urged people to contact their lawmakers and put pressure on them to support Cook for the role. The rallies this week specifically targeted four areas of Texas where lawmakers had yet to do so -- including Rep. Terry Wilson, who represents parts of Williamson County.
Paxton and other GOP leaders headed to The Woodlands for a similar rally Tuesday night.
The 89th Texas legislative session begins on Tuesday, January 14.
