Even after quorum breaks, GOP House Speaker says he won’t campaign against Dem House members

AUSTIN – Republican House of Representatives Speaker Dade Phelan won’t fight his Democratic counterparts in the 2022 election, saying it would only fuel tension in a chamber still split over a week-long summer break.

“I am absolutely not going to run against the incumbent members of the House of Representatives,” the spokesman for the first term told the Dallas Morning News on Friday. “I don’t think that will help the decency in the house. I don’t think it helps us to have a good work environment. “

But while Phelan expressed a desire to improve relationships, he also expressed his openness to revive a transgender sports bill that the House Democrats killed in the special session that ended Thursday.

Legislators will meet again this fall to begin redistribution. Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick is already campaigning to rethink the law that would prevent transgender student athletes from playing on sports teams that match their gender identity.

“I think a lot of members want to debate this in plenary,” said Phelan. “Personally, I don’t want boys to compete against girls in sport, I don’t think that’s fair. But it will be what the House wants to do … My main concern for this next special session is redistribution. “

In an interview with The News, Phelan spoke about the climate in the Texas House that was broken by three Democratic quorums over the GOP election law and frustrated Republicans who wanted to punish the runaways.

After the highly competitive legislative period, the atmosphere is only likely to get worse when lawmakers return in the coming weeks to redraw the boundaries of the state and congressional district.

In next year’s election, all 150 members of the House of Representatives in the newly drawn districts will have to run, some with unknown voters. The 2022 contest gives Republicans an opportunity to expand their majority in the House of Representatives, especially if they target the incumbent Democrats.

Phelan, who is about to run for House Speaker again, rejected the idea that he would attend.

“There are many groups in the world who have the role of campaigning, candidate recruitment and support for candidates that the House Speaker does not need to be involved in,” he said.

“If I take part, it will be a free seat. I do not go after incumbents and I hope that this will continue to be the case for my colleagues on the other side, too, ”he said.

Phelan’s predecessor made a similar promise in 2019, warning of the consequences for members who attacked each other in elections. Ultimately, House Speaker Dennis Bonnen retired after a secret recording revealed that he spoke to Empower Texans leader Michael Quinn Sullivan, among others, about a loss to 10 Republicans.

It remains to be seen whether other House MPs will follow Phelan. The House spokesman said he had spoken to some Democratic colleagues about how to stay out of Republican races as well.

In the 2020 election, the Democrats spent millions of dollars gaining control of the Texas House targeting vulnerable Republicans, including several in the Dallas area. Ultimately, they fell short and didn’t dent the 83-67 Republican majority split.

The priority of the House Democratic Campaign Committee is protecting incumbents and recruiting candidates to run for open seats next year, said Julie Johnson Rep., D-Farmers Branch.

“Protecting the incumbent is a top priority in the redistribution year. That’s our focus, ”she said. “We know the Republicans will do whatever it takes to minimize the Democrats’ chances of redistributing them.”

The process of reallocating the partisans could further fray relations between Republicans and Democrats in the House of Representatives.

When the majority of Democrats in the House of Representatives fled the Capitol on July 12 to protest the GOP electoral law, the Chamber did not have enough members to do business. Even so, Republican lawmakers spent their summer in Austin only to eventually decide law enforcement agencies to hunt down and bring back absent Democrats. Nobody was ever arrested. The Democrats gave up their quorum break in mid-August.

Then, in the last two weeks of the special session, Republicans pushed through much of their agenda, including bills to further restrict abortion, revise the bail system, and spend an additional $ 1.8 billion on border security.

Phelan is confident that time will restore good relationships in the house.

“Relationships heal, but it’s not a one-way street,” he said. “Everyone has to want them to heal, and I think they do.”

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