It’s little surprise to Texas Values Action President Jonathan Saenz that Texas House Speaker Joe Straus and House State Affairs committee Chairman Byron Cook announced today that they would not be seeking re-election.

Said Saenz:

“The writing was already on the wall. After 50-plus county Republican parties have censored or issued statements criticizing Speaker Straus and Chairman Cook, it seemed only a matter of time before the mounting grassroots and electoral pressure was too great for them to continue in office. Straus and Cook were the main opponents who held back the priority bills of a majority of Republicans in the House, including the Texas Privacy Act to keep men out of little girls’ showers, restrooms and locker rooms in our public schools. This obstructionism earned Chairman Cook a low 54% rating on the Texas Values Action Faith & Family Scorecard (Straus was not scored as he typically does not cast a vote).”

Straus had an opponent for House Speaker, Rep. Phil King, who announced shortly after a meeting of the Texas House Republican Caucus to discuss reform to the Speaker election process. Cook faced a second challenge in 2018 by his 2016 primary rival Thomas McNutt, whom he bested by 4 percentage points.

Just today Rep. John Zerwas announced he would also run for Speaker. Zerwas received a score of 56% on the Faith & Family Scorecard, compared to King’s 97%.

More information about Texas Values Action and the Faith & Family Scorecard is available here.

About Texas Values Action

Texas Values Action is the 501(c)(4) advocacy arm of Texas Values, a non-profit organization dedicated to standing for faith, family, and freedom in Texas. More information is available at txvaluesaction.org.