Texas has a powerful new House speaker, dealing a blow to the far right of the Republican Party

AUSTIN, Texas (AP) — Texas’ far-right efforts to expand control of the state Capitol failed Tuesday, with House lawmakers rejecting their choice for House speaker and the historic impeachment of Attorney General Ken Paxton intensifying Republican discord.

Instead, new House Speaker Dustin Burrows won the post with the support of Democrats who favored him over a bold right-wing Republican challenger.

The result was a victory for the Texas Republican establishment, while Democrats still risk losing influence under new leadership. The campaign has deepened divisions within the Republican Party, driven in part by Republicans who say an agenda that includes some of the nation’s toughest laws on abortion and immigration is not enough.

“He’s a leader who at least has conversations,” Democratic Rep. Tony Ross said during Burrows’ nomination speech.

Burrows is being challenged by state Rep. David Cook, who has pledged to block Democrats from running committees in the House — a longstanding bipartisan tradition in the House that has historically provided a more moderate balance to the far-right-leaning Senate.

Burrows will lead one of the state’s top offices after the dramatic exit of former House Speaker Dade Phelan, who lost support from the party’s far right following Paxton’s impeachment. state senate final Paxton acquittedIn recent weeks, he campaigned against Republicans seeking to deny Cook his victory.

The newly elected speaker has little ideological difference from Cook, but his opponent is the choice of some Republicans who believe Democrats have too much control of the House.

The House’s failure to approve taxpayer funding for private schools in 2023 also intensified Republican bickering ahead of the November election, when Republicans expand their already strong majority and make progress on the U.S.-Mexico border.

Texas has passed some of the nation’s strictest abortion, immigration and voting restrictions in recent years. Republicans this year proposed banning public funding for gender-affirming care for adults and in-state college tuition for students without legal status in the United States

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This story was edited to clarify that Democrats, not Burrows, could still lose influence.

Lathan is a corps member for the Associated Press/Report for America Statehouse News Initiative. Report for America is a nonprofit national service program that places journalists in local newsrooms to report on undercovered issues.