Dustin Burrows elected as Texas Speaker of the House. Here's what it means

AUSTIN - Rep. Dustin Burrows (R-Lubbock) was elected to be Texas' 77th Speaker of the House on Tuesday.

Burrows, an ally of former House Speaker Dade Phelan, was backed by both Republicans and Democrats in his bid to become speaker.

The Lubbock Republican beat Rep. David Cook of Mansfield by an 85-55 vote. Burrows voters consisted of 36 Republicans and 49 Democrats.

Burrows will have a critical role in deciding the legislative priorities during the new session.

What It Means

Why you should care:

The Burrows victory is a positive sign for the more moderate wing of the Texas Republican Party.

Cook received the backing of high profile Republicans, including Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick, Attorney General Ken Paxton and Donald Trump Jr.

Phelan, who dropped out of the Speaker race, was among the first people to celebrate with Burrows as the final vote tally was announced.

Some political scientists believe a Burrows victory could provide a check on the more conservative Texas Senate.

"This is going to be a conservative session no matter who the Speaker is. I think that on the margins you might see some differences in which policies are passed," said Quorum Report editor Scott Braddock prior to the vote.

Many Democrats were concerned that Cook would not allow any Democrats to chair committees in the House.

In his speech after winning the speakership, Burrows appeared to address those concerns.

"Every member. Every member will have a voice. Every district. Every district will have a seat at the table," said Burrows.

Reaction to Burrows' Election

What they're saying:

Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton was one of the outspoken opponents of previous speaker Dade Phelan.

Paxton said that Phelan's removal is a step in the right direction for the state, but said that Burrows refused to honor the rules of the Republican Caucus in the election.

"Texas Republican voters made it clear they want conservative legislation to pass this session. It is now important that Speaker Burrows and his leadership team pass every conservative legislative priority in a timely manner to make our state more secure and more prosperous. That is what Texas Republicans expect," wrote Paxton in a statement.

Paxton has previously called for primary challenges for GOP members who backed Burrows.

Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick expressed his displeasure that the candidate with fewer Republican votes won the House Speaker race.

"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," Patrick wrote in a statement.

The Lt. Gov. called on Burrows to help pass legislation that died in the House in previous sessions, including bills on school choice, bail reform, election integrity, putting the 10 Commandments in schools and banning Critical Race Theory in higher education.

Texas Democratic Caucus Chair Gene Wu said that the election will make sure the voice of the full electorate is represented in Austin.

"This House cannot function without Democratic participation and leadership. While Speaker Burrows and our caucus may not see eye to eye on every policy issue, we stand united in rejecting the control of political extremists and protecting the integrity of the People’s House. We look forward to working with Speaker Burrows to address the real challenges facing Texas families: fully funding neighborhood schools, expanding access to healthcare, fixing our failing electrical grid, and building a better future for all Texans," wrote Wu in a statement.

What We Know about Rep. Dustin Burrows

What we know:

This will be Dustin Burrows' fifth term in the Texas House.

The Lubbock representative was the chair of the House Calendars Committee and led the Uvalde shooting investigation.

Burrows authored House Bill 3 in 2023 designed to beef up school safety, including hiring at least one armed security officer at every campus and installing silent panic alarms in every classroom.