Posted on 05/29/2024 2:12:17 AM PDT by cotton1706
Phelan will be returning to the Legislature in 2025 with far fewer friends and far more emboldened enemies. Despite the cigar and bravado on display at his victory party Tuesday night, Phelan and his cohort suffered heavy losses to the rightwing.
Six of the eight House incumbents mired in runoffs lost. Those losses follow the incumbent bloodbath in the March primaries, in which half a dozen Phelan allies were defeated by challengers backed by Paxton and/or Governor Greg Abbott. One of the main jobs of the speaker is to keep his members in office. The king must protect the kingmakers. What happens if you come for the king and miss but take out his knights, rooks, and pawns? The rightwing will soon find out. Phelan faces another race in 2025: he will (presumably) run for House speaker again, a role that is decided by the 150 members of the lower chamber.
Many of his once allies are now gone, and even before his runoff, the knives were already out in the GOP caucus. Over the weekend, state representative Shelby Slawson from Stephenville, best known for being the female face of the abortion bounty bill, posted a 1,400-word anti-Phelan missive on her Facebook page. “Whatever the House has learned from [the Ken Paxton] impeachment it should, at a minimum, be this: The architects of impeachment lit the House on fire, and regardless of what happens in the runoff elections, we cannot select an arsonist as fire chief.” I doubt Slawson will change her mind because Phelan held onto his seat by a few hundred votes.
(Excerpt) Read more at texasmonthly.com ...
I doubt he will be re-elected speaker.
He will have plenty of Democrat and RINO friends. What does it take to get him out?
With the help of Democrats crossing over he survived the runoff.....but 6 more of his RINO allies just got ousted. A whole bunch of RINOs got slaughtered in the primaries. If Texas pushes through a closed primary, the days of RINO squishes surviving by having Democrats throw them a lifeline will be over.
RINOs getting tossed for impeaching AG Paxton?
Is Texas Monthly a liberal left publication, referring to conservatives as “rightwing.”? Do they ever refer to any Democrats as “leftwing”?
Based in capitol of Austin, so yes...leans left it appears.
“drinks on me folks”
50 yrs old...34+ million subscribers !
“Do they ever refer to any Democrats as “leftwing”?”
No, because in their world leftwing is the natural default position. Any deviation is a disturbance in the force.
The Demonicrats need to be referred to as "Traitors".
He will be re-elected Speaker. Tried and true formula of 100% support from Democrats and there are always squishy RINOS.
Even the Rinos will think twice about voting for Phelan for speaker, because they know they will will have a tough primary opponent in the next election with Abbott, Patrick and Paxton all supporting their primary opponent.
With the help of Democrats crossing over he survived the runoff..
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No excuse for Republicans having open primaries. Is anyone in Texas trying to change this?
I’m thinking of Cassidy in La. I think this frees him next time around. Gutless voters + crossovers.
If he loses the speakership it will limit the damage he can do. Once he is neutered the big money and rats will abandon him. Worst he can do at that point is continue voting with the democrats till he is dumped unceremoniously in two years.
Keep in mind a lot of Texas Republicans are loyal Bush-bots.
Texas Monthly is, editorially, hard left, unfortunately for all of us that live in the otherwise Great State of Texas.
It does have lots of pretty, high gloss pics and interesting, non political stuff.
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