Texas House of Representatives elect a speaker who promises everyone a seat at the table

(Special to The Dallas Examiner) – As the 89th Texas Legislature prepared for a 140-day session, the first order of business for the Texas House of Representatives was to choose a speaker. Rep. Dustin Burrows, R-Lubbock, won with a vote of 85-55. – beating his opponent Rep. David Cook, R-Mansfield, during the second round of voting.“Today, on the second ballot, Republican Dustin Burrows was elected Speaker of the Texas House with a majority of Democrats and a minority of Republican votes,” Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick stated. “Despite having a clear majority of Republican votes, Rep. David Cook, R-Mansfield, was defeated. Speaker Burrows was handed the speakership by Democrats, as has happened behind closed doors session after session since 2009. This may be the first time in our nation’s history where the minority party openly elected the speaker of a legislative body instead of the majority party.”Related Stories Patrick insisted that if the Democratic Party had 88 members, they wouldn’t allow the Republicans to elect the speaker. It was Burrows’ promise that everyone would have a voice that drew the lawmakers’ focus.“I commit to you today, every member will have a voice. Every district will have a seat at the table,”...