National Democrats are asking our Texas State Democrats to do a walkout. It has been tried, but they are nothing but lapdogs, more interested in power than in doing what is right.
National Democratic leaders are encouraging state Democrats in the Texas House to consider walking out of a special legislative session this month to block Republicans from redrawing the state’s congressional maps ahead of the 2026 midterm elections.
I had been meaning to write about how Democrats folded quickly this last session. I’m sure there are some exceptions among these gutless elected officials, although perhaps a tiny minority.
In late 2024, in the midst of the all-out speaker battle, Democrats found themselves with a chance to play things differently. They could stand by and watch the fractured Republican ranks duke it out, withholding their support until a speaker candidate met their demands—or otherwise they’d simply cast their votes for a Democratic speaker. For a moment, it looked like that’s what they might actually do.
Then came the stampede. A couple dozen Democrats, many of whom had been a part of Team Phelan, lined up behind Dustin Burrows, a top lieutenant for the prior two speakers—and then came a dozen or so more. Burrows was perhaps an odd choice for Dems to rally around. The Lubbock Republican had carried the “death star” legislation to gut local control the previous session, and he was a staunch supporter of school vouchers.
The election required two rounds of voting. In the first round, Burrows received 71 votes, State Rep. David Cook (R-Mansfield) garnered 56, and Democrat Ana-Maria Ramos of Houston received 23.
The second round saw Burrows emerge victorious with 85 votes, while Cook secured 55. Nine members (all Democrats) were recorded as present but not voting. In total, 36 Republicans supported Burrows along with 49 Democrats.
Democrats chose the Speaker of the House and got nothing but scraps as a reward.
Democrats have a history of being ball-less wonders, here in Texas.
Here is a link to the Democrats who voted for Burrows.
Gene Wu got a big promotion from fellow Democrats; he became the leader of the Caucus, if one could call it that.
So why had Democrats gotten behind him?
State Rep. Gene Wu, a Houston Democrat who leads the House Democratic Caucus, said that in Democrats’ talks with Burrows, it became clear that he was intent on protecting at least a modicum of the chamber’s bipartisan traditions and ethos — while Cook had agreed to a litany of changes that would virtually shut Democrats out of the legislative process.
“Many members came to the obvious conclusion that we must have a speaker who would not simply trample all over the minority and take a pledge that says, we will not pass any of your bills — we won’t even work on your bills — until we pass every single one of our bills,” Wu said, referring to Cook’s vow to ensure that GOP bills reached the floor before any Democratic measures.