Speaker Joe Straus, R-San Antonio
Rep. Scott Turner, R-Frisco
Rep. Joe Straus, R-San Antonio, was re-elected as Texas Speaker on Tuesday (Jan. 13), defeating Scott Turner, R-Frisco, who ran to Straus’ right. Straus won 127 to Turner’s 19. No members voted present. Two were absent.
Straus was expected to win re-election, having already clinched nearly the majority of the GOP and Democratic caucuses. While the speaker’s race was never seen as competitive, numerous hard right groups had previously criticized Straus for failing to advance conservative legislation in past sessions.
With both sides on the defense, Straus and Turner’s supporters called for an unprecedented record vote of the election as opposed to the typical voice vote. Members’ votes would be recorded.
Turner even fell short of his backers’ estimates, clinching only 19 members, many of whom ran on opposing Straus in their elections.
It remains to be seen, but don’t anticipate Straus to seek revenge against the 19 members. Unlike with current U.S, House Speaker John Boehner, R-Ohio, who tossed multiple dissenters within his ranks off committees, Straus isn’t seen as likely to punish them with irrelevant committee selections (or worse).
Here’s the unofficial vote tally, per the Texas Legislative Office. Yeas indicate a vote for Turner, nays indicate a vote for Straus (or against Turner in this case):
Yeas – Anderson, R.; Burrows; Fallon; Hughes; Keough; Klick; Krause; Leach; Rinaldi; Sanford; Schaefer; Shaheen; Simpson; Spitzer; Stickland; Tinderholt; Turner, E.S.; White, M.; Zedler
Nays – Allen; Alonzo; Alvarado; Anchia; Anderson, C.; Ashby; Aycock; Bell; Blanco; Bohac; Bonnen, D.; Bonnen, G.; Burkett; Burns; Button; Canales; Capriglione; Clardy; Coleman; Collier; Cook; Crownover; Dale; Darby; Davis, S.; Davis, Y.; Deshotel; Dutton; Elkins; Faircloth; Farias; Farney; Farrar; Fletcher; Flynn; Frank; Frullo; Galindo; Geren; Giddings; Goldman; Gonzales; González; Guerra; Guillen; Gutierrez; Harless; Hernandez; Herrero; Howard; Huberty; Hunter; Isaac; Israel; Johnson; Kacal; Keffer; King, K.; King, P.; King, S.; King, T.; Kleinschmidt; Koop; Kuempel; Landgraf; Larson; Laubenberg; Longoria; Lozano; Lucio; Márquez; Martinez; Martinez Fischer; McClendon; Menéndez; Metcalf; Meyer; Miles; Miller, D.; Miller, R.; Moody; Morrison; Mr. Speaker; Muñoz; Murphy; Murr; Naishtat; Nevárez; Oliveira; Otto; Paddie; Parker; Paul; Peña; Phelan; Phillips; Pickett; Price; Raney; Raymond; Reynolds; Riddle; Rodriguez, E.; Rodriguez, J.; Romero; Rose; Schofield; Sheets; Sheffield; Simmons; Smith; Smithee; Springer; Stephenson; Thompson, E.; Thompson, S.; Turner, C.; Turner, S.; VanDeaver; Villalba; Vo; Walle; White, J.; Workman; Wray; Wu; Zerwas
Absent – Craddick; Dukes