The race for Texas House speaker has quickly become a crowded contest as balance of power hinges on
Four Republicans and one Democrat declared bids for speaker of the Texas House on Thursday, bringing the number of candidates in the race to seven. Until Thursday, no Republicans had filed to run for the job.
Republican state Reps. Trent Ashby of Lufkin, Chris Paddie of Marshall, John Cyrier of Lockhart and Geanie Morrison of Victoria all filed Thursday afternoon. State Rep. Oscar Longoria, D-Mission, also announced his candidacy, making him the third Democrat to enter the race. State Reps. Senfronia Thompson of Houston and Trey Martinez Fischer of San Antonio filed paperwork to run for the job last week.
More candidates are expected to file, though it won't be clear which party will be in control of the House — and by how many seats — until after Tuesday's election.
Candidates are vying to replace Republican House Speaker Dennis Bonnen, who will retire after serving one term, thanks to a political scandal last year.
The House will vote for a new speaker when the Legislature convenes in January for its 87th legislative session, a 140-day stretch that will feature a difficult budget-writing task due to the economic shortfall from the coronavirus pandemic. The Legislature is also expected to take up redistricting and several other challenging issues next year.
https://www.texastribune.org/2020/10/29/trent-ashby-chris-paddie-texas-house/
