On Saturday, the governing board of the Texas Republican Party will meet at the state Capitol to decide whether to censure 10 members of their own party. The alleged violations under consideration question if these Republicans purposely and actively attempted to block GOP priorities during the 140 days of the 2025 Texas Regular Legislative Session.
The biggest name on the list is Texas House Speaker Dustin Burrows, R-Lubbock.
Burrows actually faces a lesser censure that may not include a ban from running in the Republican primaries next year. But it appears seven members of his leadership team would not be spared such a ban if they are censured by their fellow GOP members. They include: Reps. Angie Chen Button of Garland, Cody Harris of Palestine, Jeff Leach of Allen, Morgan Meyer of University Park, Angelia Orr of Itasca, Jared Patterson of Frisco and Gary VanDeaver of New Boston. Two others facing potential banishment are retiring.
As the Texas Newsroom reports, the Republicans to be discussed Saturday all have one thing in common: earlier this year, they voted “YES” for Burrows to become Texas House Speaker. That violated the Texas GOP’s rules, because the party had decided to back a different, more conservative, candidate for the pivotal role.
This development is just the latest in a string of internal conflicts among the state’s Republicans. For almost a decade, the Texas GOP’s said elected officials could be censured if they violated the party platform at least three times. This change stems from a development last year, when delegates from last year’s convention expanded what is known as “Rule 44.” Texas party chair Abraham George says they made the change to make sure that, quote “Republicans were acting like Republicans.”
Rule 44 has its origins, officials have said, from the 2016 convention in Dallas, to punish those who were deemed to be insufficiently conservative.
Originally from the Pacific Northwest, and a graduate of the University of Washington, Jeff began his on-air broadcasting career 33 years ago in the Black Hills of South Dakota as a general assignment reporter.
Texas Capitol Reporter for The Texas Newsroom (public radio collaboration)