Houston Chronicle by Andrea Zelinski Nov. 7, 2018
Republicans lost a dozen seats in Tuesday's election, putting Democrats in a stronger position to sway the next most important election in Texas — choosing the next state House speaker who can wield influence to control what laws legislators will pass next year.
Members of the House elect a speaker every two years at the beginning of the legislative session. Republicans looking to replace outgoing GOP Speaker Joe Straus of San Antonio have put up five candidates for the chamber’s top job to set the pace, tone and agenda for the 2019 session that begins in January.
However, the election Tuesday dropped the GOP majority to 83 - 67 in the House, giving the minority party leverage to bargain for a centrist speaker of their liking or cut deals on legislation, political analysts say. Republicans held 95 out of 150 seats prior to Tuesday election, which would have made way for a more conservative speaker candidate.
“The Democrats are shopping. They’re buyers in this market and they’re going to be empowered to find somebody who’s going to give them a good deal,†said Brandon Rottinghaus, a political science professor and analyst from the University of Houston.
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https://www.houstonchronicle.com/news/politics/texas/article/Democrat-wins-will-shift-the-race-for-Texas-House-13371927.php
