David Cook wants to be the next Texas House Speaker. Who is he?
David Cook
The Texas House will select a new House Speaker when the next session begins in January.
Current House Speaker Dade Phelan on Friday announced he would not be seeking a third term in the position.
Among the front-runners is Rep. David Cook, a Republican from North Texas.
Cook is heading into his third term in the House of Representatives, serving in District 96.
Cook's district covers Arlington, Burleson, Crowley, Fort Worth, Kennedale, Mansfield and Rendon in Tarrant County.
Before running for State House, Cook was an attorney and served as the mayor of Mansfield from 2008 to 2021.
For months, Cook has been angling towards a bid for House Speaker even before Phelan announced he was not seeking the nomination.
Cook is touting the need for a unified Republican speaker, despite Phelan being elected to the position almost unanimously, twice, with yes votes from Cook each time.
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Still, many inside the party were critical of Phelan's time as speaker.
Phelan has often been at odds with Texas Republican leaders for his actions during recent sessions, including not pushing through Gov. Abbott's school voucher plan, pushing a different tax cut plan in the House from Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick and the House impeachment of Attorney General Ken Paxton, which ended in an acquittal in the Texas Senate.
Prior to the November election, Cook touted he had support from more than half of House Republicans as he positioned himself to run against Phelan in January.
"As we continue our campaign for Speaker, some in our [Texas GOP Caucus] would STILL rather cut a deal with Democrats than unify with Republicans first," Cook said in November. "It's time for us to UNITE and prioritize our caucus and the voters who put us here."
A unified vote from Republicans in the House would be more than enough to propel Cook to the speakership.
The party will hold 88 of the chamber's 150 seats when the new session begins in January.
A candidate needs 76 votes in the House to become speaker.
Cook will likely find himself with some opposition come January with Republican Rep. Dustin Burrows expected to pull some of the party away from Cook.
Two of Cook's allies have taken to social media in recent days to publicly reinforce their support.
"I am fully committed to Republican leadership for Republican voters," incoming Rep. Mike Olcott said. "I will not allow the Democrats to once again control our speaker."
Olcott will be one of the new faces in the Texas House in January. He was one of 15 candidates endorsed by Gov. Greg Abbott for his support of the school voucher plan.
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"Don't even bother calling me," incoming representative Shelley Luther said. "I will NOT side with Democrats to nominate the REPUBLICAN House Speaker. I am Ride or Die [David Cook]."
Luther is another incoming member of the House. She was among the candidates endorsed by Attorney General Ken Paxton in primary races against Republicans who voted to impeach him.
The next Texas legislature begins on Jan. 14, 2025. The House session begins with the election of the House speaker.
The Republican House Caucus requires its members to meet before the session begins to vote on their nominee. At least 60 percent of members must vote yes in order for a candidate to get the party endorsement.
The Source: Information in this article comes from previous Fox 4 reporting, social media posts on X and the Texas Legislature.