Democrat House members in Texas are celebrating the win of their preferred candidate, Republican Dustin Burrows, and now have more power than before– thanks to support from establishment Republicans.

In a move that has divided state Republicans, Burrows (Lubbock) secured the gavel to become House Speaker, despite facing strong opposition from within his own party – ultimately relying on Democrat support to secure the position.

In the final tally, 36 Republicans and 49 Democrats supported Burrows, while the more conservative Republican base supported David Cook (R-Mansfield), who received 55 votes.  Cook’s supporters emphasized the importance of Republican unity in leadership and visited legislative offices in the lead-up to the session, urging lawmakers to reject any power-sharing arrangement with Democrats.

Despite winning the Republican nomination for speaker last month, Cook saw defections within his party from establishment elements of the Republican party.  Meanwhile Burrows, who built a coalition with radical Democrats leading up the election, enjoyed the support of the RINOs. Burrows’ strategy did not sit well with many grassroots conservatives and GOP leaders like Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick, who had strongly advocated for keeping the House speaker position firmly in Republican hands.

In response to the outcome, Lt. Gov. Patrick sharply criticized Burrows’ election, describing it as the result of a “Democrat-led” move and warning that it undermines the priorities of the Republican majority. Patrick pointed out that, despite Republicans holding 88 of the chamber’s 150 seats, Burrows was elected with more Democrat support than from his own party, a situation he argued might be unprecedented in U.S. history.

Additionally, although Republican House members voted to prevent the minority party from holding powerful committee chair positions, a new set of guidelines were created by Democrat friendly Republicans, which gives Democrat vice chairs more influence and authority than they previously had.

The new guidelines, adopted as the chamber set its operating guidelines for the current legislative session, was written by Rep. Todd Hunter (R-Corpus Christi) who also joined with Democrats in voting for Burrows.

The changes give more power to vice chairs, including the ability to designate bills for consideration, invite witnesses, and request legislative staff research. House Speaker Burrows will select who will hold the key committee positions, though those appointments have not yet been announced.

In a press conference House Democrats celebrated the outcome of the new changes.

“The people of Texas should be really proud of the Democrats that stood strong and have a lot to bring home today because of the positions and the powers that were gained through vice-chairmanships,” said Rep. Ramon Romero Jr. (D-Fort Worth). “They’re not chairmanships, but we have a great role to play and we’re ready to play it.”

While Democrats largely supported the rules change, with the majority of them voting in favor of the new guidelines, about two dozen conservative Republicans opposed the decision. Many of the conservative House members viewed it an insufficient step toward eliminating disproportionate Democratic influence. Some Republicans, like Rep. Mike Schofield (Katy), warned that this move could lead to ongoing conflict, calling it “the nuclear option” and predicting that Republicans could use the same strategy against Democrats in the future.

Rep. Shelley Luther, a freshman Republican from Dallas, voiced her displeasure with the change, calling it “Dem Chair Removal in Name Only.” On social media, she expressed frustration that the new rules still gave Democrats more power than ever before.  She added that she voted for reform to reflect the will of Texans, but felt the outcome missed the mark. “This ain’t it,” she wrote.

The debate around this change underscored ongoing divisions within the Republican Party; conservative Republicans versus establishment RINOs. The state’s conservative House politicians have long criticized the practice of allowing Democrats to hold committee chairmanships, as it undermines the GOP’s ability to prioritize conservative agendas – without Democrat interference.