Texas House Speaker Race Narrows as a West Texas Representative Pledges Support to Drew Darby's Opponent

SAN ANGELO, TX — State Representative Four Price of Amarillo dropped his bid for speaker of the Texas House of Representatives Sunday afternoon. In turn, he endorsed Rep. Dennis Bonnen of Angleton, not San Angelo’s State Rep. Drew Darby.

Price’s announcement reported today by the Texas Tribune reduces the seven-man field of candidates by just one to six, but Price is the second announced candidate to drop out and jump into the Bonnen camp.

Bonnen was the reported favorite to emerge from an ad hoc meeting of state representatives at the end of October. After that meeting, State Rep. John Zerwas (R-Richmond), who was one of the first to file to run, withdrew his bid for speaker. Many observers believed this signaled Zerwas’ commitment to a Bonnen speakership, as Bonnen announced his candidacy two days after the meeting after Zerwas withdrew.

Zerwas has not publically committed to any candidate for speaker.

The Austin American-Statesman reported the October meeting was a gathering of around 40 legislators. The Quorum Report later reported 20 were in attendance.

In May, Bonnen told the Texas Tribune he was not interested in running. “Not only is he not a candidate, he joked that such talk upsets his family. He’s not in this,” the Tribune reported then, albeit with a healthy dose of skepticism. He was the chairman of the powerful House Ways and Means Committee that sets tax policy. Darby is a member of the same committee.

Both Bonnen and San Angelo’s Darby were loyal lieutenants of outgoing Speaker of the House Joe Straus and considered moderates.

The secret meeting in October changed Bonnen’s mind about running for speaker, and his family endured the mandatory few of days of prayerful consideration, as news of the insider event was leaked to the press that portrayed Bonnen as a reluctant warrior who peers demanded run for speaker for the good of the Republican Party and the entire state of Texas. Bonnen officially announced his candidacy two days after the weekend meeting.

Meanwhile, at Darby’s camp, not much is happening in the statewide media.

The midterm election changed the calculations for the remaining six in the race for speaker. To be elected speaker of the 150-member house, the candidate must attract 76 votes, a simple majority of the members.

After last Tuesday, there are 67 Democratic representatives. According to the Tribune, all of them have signed a pledge to support only one candidate for speaker.

If a Republican candidate for speaker received the nod from the Democratic caucus, the winning candidate will need just nine Republican votes.

There is one speaker candidate from the Democratic Party, Eric Johnson of Dallas. His candidacy is likely a non-starter since it is unimaginable a Republican representative will vote for a Democrat to head the House.

The Republican Party of Texas is attempting to prevent Democrats from having influence over the race for speaker. The Party has asked for public pledges from each of its House members that they as a body will decide on one speaker candidate among them, then present that candidate—and uniformly vote for that candidate— during the Jan. 8, 2018 opening day of the 86th Texas Legislature.

The problem is, not all Republican representatives have signed the pledge, to include Darby and candidate Travis Clardy of Nacogdoches. Zerwas, who is suspected of being on Team Bonnen, hasn’t signed the pledge as of today, either according to the GOP website.

Meanwhile, Bonnen has.

The Republicans meet Dec. 1 at a posh resort east of Austin to attempt to decide on the speaker candidate they will uniformly support.

Other than Democrat Johnson, the remaining speaker candidates are Republicans, including Bonnen, Clardy, Phil King of Weatherford, Tan Parker of Flower Mound, and Darby.