Even conservatives take vacation. Never fear, Memoirs From a Young Conservative is BACK and just in time for the Texas Legislative Session to heat up with a race for Texas Speaker.
As this blog progresses you’ll find more of an emphasis on Texas politics, something I’m very passionate about and you should be too!!
Back to the news:
In case you were living under a rock, Craddick withdrew and Straus says his lead is growing.
Republican Rep. Joe Straus, heir-apparent to the powerful job of Texas House speaker, vowed to reduce the influence of special interest groups in Austin and said nearly two-thirds of his fellow members support his candidacy now that current Speaker Tom Craddick has backed out of the race.
During an exclusive interview with The Associated Press, Straus announced he had 92 of 150 House members backing him and said more would be joining his team ahead of the formal Jan. 13 vote. Moments later, the count had increased to 94, an aide said. Craddick, the longest serving Republican in state elective office, gave up his re-election bid Sunday night, making Straus the clear front-runner in the race to succeed him. Rep. John Smithee, R-Amarillo, has mounted a long-shot bid to oppose Straus.
Not sure where you stand on Straus? Check out the Young Conservatives of Texas legislative ratings:
Straus got a 62 for the 80th Legislative Session and has a career rating of 67.
Compare this to other contenders:
John Smithee got a 76 in the 80th Legislative Session but has a career rating of 84
Dan Gattis got an 89 in the 80s Legislative Session and has a career rating of 85
Not sure how a conservative might stand on the race? Check out Michele Samuelson’s breakdown (note: this was written pre-Craddick withdrawal)
ETA:
From a tweet I received:
@lauraelizabethm absolutely shocked, and not a f an of Straus.
BTW…if we’re not twitter friends yet, follow me!
