What happens if the Texas House cannot agree on a speaker

AUSTIN – Texas Monthly reports that when Texas lawmakers return to the Capitol each January in odd-numbered years, the opening of the legislative session is generally a cross between the first day of school and a family reunion with upward of 200 relatives. Handshakes, hugs and backslaps are the first order of business. And members from both chambers often bring their spouses and children to the floor to bask in the camaraderie. The galleries are generally packed with friends and supporters who don’t have the privilege of being on the floor. But with the race for House speaker unsettled and increasingly rancorous just a few weeks before the start of the 2025 session, the atmosphere could just as easily take on the vibe of a dysfunctional family at the reading of the patriarch’s will in which members of several factions are convinced that members of the other have connived to gain a disproportionate share of the inheritance.

Instead of backslapping, there could be accusations of backstabbing. And maybe even worse. All of this is a scenario, not a prediction. It’s not beyond the realm of possibility that either of the two front-running candidates — Republican state Reps. Dustin Burrows of Lubbock and David Cook of Mansfield — could cobble together a governing majority before the 89th Legislatures is gaveled to order at noon Jan. 14. It’s also possible that another House member will step in as a compromise choice and walk off with the prize. And if someone can reach the magic number of 76 votes in the 150-member House, it would not be terribly surprising if an overwhelming majority in both parties fall in line and cast their votes for the inevitable winner in the interest of decorum and putting bruised feelings in the past.