Texas House Republicans met in private Saturday to choose a candidate for speaker to back in the 2025 session of the Legislature.

The current House speaker, Rep. Dade Phelan, a Beaumont Republican, announced he was exiting the race on Friday, Dec. 6. Around the same time, Rep. Dustin Burrows, a Lubbock Republican, entered it, challenging fellow Cook, who entered the race in September.

After three rounds of voting, Texas House Republicans have put forth David Cook, who currently serves as state representative for District 96, which covers Mansfield and part of Tarrant County. The House Republican Caucus said in a press release that Cook was selected by a super-majority of the 62 members who voted.

Texas House Speaker Dade Phelan, a Republican, has dropped his bid for a third term amid disagreements within the Texas GOP. Phelan had previously stated he had enough votes to hold off a challenge from the right-wing of the party led by state Rep.

Party rules require a speaker candidate to be supported by two-thirds of those present at the caucus meeting – 58 representatives if all attend – in the first two rounds of voting. The threshold drops to 53 supporters, or three-fifths, for the next two rounds.

The House Republican caucus will meet behind closed doors and the outcome could change the way the Texas Legislature has historically operated.

The Texas House GOP Caucus has approved a resolution not to appoint any Democrats to committee chairmanships and to take action against any GOP member who delib

Phelan's exit opens up a fight for who will lead the chamber next year as lawmakers plan to take up school vouchers, border security and other GOP priorities.

In a stunning turn of events, state Rep. Dustin Burrows of Lubbock announced Saturday evening that he had the necessary votes to become the next speaker of the Texas House. READ MORE: