Hello,
I am directing this open letter to the Republican Party of Calhoun County and to the Calhoun County Executive Committee in particular.
At the Texas Republican Party Caucus Meeting in late 2024, a majority of the Republican members of the Texas House of Representatives selected Rep. David Cook as the Republican candidate for Speaker of the House. Following this vote, certain Republican members of the House organized to oppose the duly selected Republican candidate in the Election for House Speaker to take place in January 2025. This group of members conspired to elect one of their own group as House Speaker by recruiting a minority of Republican House member support and recruiting a large majority of Democratic House member support.
This effort was made in violation of longstanding rules and principles of the Texas Republican Party governing the selection of the Texas House Speaker by Republican caucus members. Between the time of the Republican Caucus vote and the election of the Speaker of the House there was much discussion on the social media platform X and in political newsletters and magazines about the efforts of Dustin Burrows, Cody Harris, Greg Bonnen and Dade Phelan (yes, he’s still around) and others to thwart the will of the Republican Caucus. The Chair of the Texas Republican Party, Abraham George, and many elected Republican officials warned the conspiring Republican legislators of political consequences as outlined in Rule 44 of the Bylaws of the Texas Republican Party should they carry through with their plans.
The vote for Speaker of the House for the 2024-25 biennium was won by Dustin Burrows. As predicted by many observers, his support consisted of a minority of Republican representatives and a large majority of Democratic representatives. The consequences of the election of Dustin Burrows will likely include the appointment of Democrats to key committee chairmanships and a sidelining of many State Party priorities as voted on in the 2024 Republican primary. This was the case last biennium and under several preceding Texas House Speakers who also owed much of their support to Democratic Party representatives and who also appointed Democrats to key chairmanships.
Discussion has begun at the Republican State Party level concerning the process for censure of Republican Party members that voted against the Republican Party’s candidate in the election for Texas House Speaker. Rule 44 of the Texas Republican Party Bylaws lays out the process for consideration of censure for Members.
Rules 43 and 44 are attached to this document for reference. Under the Texas Republican Party bylaws, if a state representative is censured by the State Party Executive Committee (SREC), that censure counts as a “strike” against that representative for the remainder of their elected term. If a representative accumulates 3 “strikes” within an elected term, that representative can be ruled ineligible to participate in the Texas Republican Primary. Other lesser penalties are also described within Rule 44.
I propose that the Calhoun County Republican Party discuss and pass a resolution in support of censure for any Republican representative who did not vote for the Republican Caucus candidate for Speaker of the House. I propose a second resolution in support of censure for any Republican representative who votes for a rule that allows the Speaker to appoint Democrats as Committee Chairs or to positions with similar or co-equal powers, such as Vice-Chair, etc. I propose these discussions be advertised and open to any member of the Calhoun County Republican Party.
Transparency is the best disinfectant for corruption in politics and for the engagement of the electorate. Political maneuvers to thwart the will of the people while maintaining “plausible deniability” at election time have been going on a long time with the connivance of most major media outlets. The tendency of those in power to think they know the “proper course of action” better than their constituents is very common and can lead to arrogance over time. The influence of moneyed interests may also cloud the judgment of our elected officials. The consolidation of power at the expense of the electorate must be guarded against constantly and consistently. It is my belief that transparency should be prioritized at every level of governance, including our own County Republican Party deliberations.
Sincerely,
Thomas Harr
Or contact the Republican Office for more information
361.552.6313
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