Posted on 01/04/2007 7:26:43 AM PST by Cat loving Texan
Rep. Brian McCall, R-Plano, stunned Democratic supporters Wednesday by endorsing fellow Republican Rep. Jim Pitts for the Texas House speaker's job after insisting for nearly a week that he had the House votes to defeat Speaker Tom Craddick, R-Midland.
Pitts of Waxahachie scheduled a news conference for 4 p.m. today.
The McCall-Pitts switch caught many of McCall's Democratic supporters off guard.
Instead of resolving the speaker's race, the surprise announcement may have muddled the campaign as Democrats pondered whether they would shift their support to a Republican that they had not anticipated backing.
The election will be Tuesday, when the House convenes, but it is not unusual for speaker candidates to try to claim victory before the opening session by laying out a list of supporters.
Craddick's camp suggested that Pitts and McCall were trying to engineer a panic.
Alexis DeLee, Craddick's press secretary, said the anti-Craddick camp had promised a list of supporters without delivering. Craddick has released a list of 83 supporters. A legislator needs 75 votes to win.
"This is just another version of the same story," DeLee said. "We feel confident we're going to win."
The announcement of a Pitts-McCall press conference came after the two met in Austin and compared their vote totals. A source familiar with the negotiations said that Pitts reported having 20 votes and McCall claimed 70 but that they agreed that Pitts could more easily put a winning list of names together.
"All of McCall's supporters would vote for Pitts," said the source, requesting anonymity because of the sensitivity of the speaker's race. "All of Pitts' would not vote for McCall."
That immediately appeared in doubt as word spread about Pitts' news conference.
"People ought to look at each candidate as to what they offer as speaker," said Rep. Garnet Coleman, D-Houston. "If I am going to vote for somebody for speaker, I am going to talk to that person."
Coleman, a McCall backer, said that McCall had not released his House supporters to anyone else late Wednesday afternoon. "Therefore, I am certainly not looking over to Pitts," Coleman said.
Rep. Jim Dunnam, D-Waco, leader of the House Democratic Caucus, had not heard of McCall's endorsement of Pitts. "I'm not prepared to comment," Dunnam said.
Rep. Senfronia Thompson, D-Houston, who dropped her eight-month speaker candidacy last week to endorse McCall, said she might resume her candidacy rather than let what she said were 60 Democratic supporters slip from McCall to Pitts.
Thompson said she needs to confer with Pitts. "I am not for transferring my supporters here, there or anywhere until we get a chance to talk to and see if we want to go to a new person."
Three Austin Democratic representatives who had shifted their allegiances from Thompson to McCall after she left the race sounded distinct notes.
Rep. Elliott Naishtat said he would have no problem moving to Pitts. "He would be a fair and more moderate, even-handed speaker than the current speaker," Naishtat said.
Rep. Eddie Rodriguez, noting that Pitts initially criticized McCall's candidacy because of his substantial Democratic support, said he wants to talk to Pitts to ensure he will improve on Craddick.
And Rep.-elect Valinda Bolton said she remains pledged to McCall but would give Pitts "due consideration" if he releases his pledges.
Among Travis County's other House members, all Democrats, Mark Strama and Donna Howard of Austin have not publicly committed to a speaker candidate, and Dawnna Dukes of Austin supports Craddick.
Rep. Patrick Rose, D-Dripping Springs, also backs Craddick, as does Rep. Dan Gattis, R-Georgetown.
Rep. Bryan Hughes, R-Mineola, said he intends to join Pitts at today's press conference, expected to feature Republicans inclined not to vote for Craddick.
He called the Pitts-McCall alliance a "sea change" portending a House where members will feel free to represent their home districts rather than hew to leadership demands.
Earlier in the day, Craddick supporters said they thought his support had grown from his list of 83 names.
Rep. Fred Hill, R-Richardson, said he doesn't know of any members who have allied with Pitts, who entered the speaker's fray last week calling himself a compromise hopeful.
"Craddick will prevail easily," Hill said.
Rep. Corbin Van Arsdale, R-Tomball, was among the Craddick supporters to re-check Craddick's list of backers during the weekend. He said Wednesday that "unless something really weird happens," Craddick has close to 90 votes — a margin of the landslide variety. "The speaker lately has been very humble and listening," Van Arsdale said. "He is trying to find out what he can do better."
Rep. Mike Krusee, R-Williamson County, a Craddick supporter, said McCall's switch helps Craddick. "Everyone who has been told that Tom Craddick was going to lose for a week was told the wrong thing," Krusee said. "I think this is a huge opportunity for Craddick."
lcopelin@statesman.com; 445-3617; wgselby@statesman.com; 445-3644
Additional material from staff writer Corrie MacLaggan.
At least McCall is out. The last thing we need is more "bipartisenship" and "compromise".
Tejas can surge ahead if we stay kind to businesses like the Toyo.
All I need to know about Pitts is that the Dims favor him...
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