Estimated Time to Read: 4 minutes
On the first day of the 89th Legislative Session, State Rep. Dustin Burrows (R-Lubbock) was elected as the Speaker of the Texas House of Representatives. After two ballots, Burrows clinched the nomination with 26 Republicans and 49 Democrats supporting his bid for Speaker.
Vote Breakdown
The election took two rounds of voting with varying results.
First Round Results
| Candidate | Votes |
|---|---|
| State Rep. Dustin Burrows (R-Lubbock) | 71 |
| State Rep. David Cook (R-Mansfield) | 56 |
| State Rep. Ana-Maria Ramos (D-Richardson) | 23 |
Second Round Results
| Candidate | Votes |
|---|---|
| State Rep. Dustin Burrows (R-Lubbock) | 85 |
| State Rep. David Cook (R-Mansfield) | 55 |
| Present-not-Voting | 9 |
| Absent | 1 |
The following was how lawmakers voted on the second ballot, electing Burrows as House Speaker:
Burrows (85)
36 Republicans/49 Democrats
- Rafael Anchia (D-Dallas)
- Jeff Barry (R-Pearland)
- Cecil Bell Jr. (R-Magnolia)
- Keith Bell (R-Forney)
- Diego Bernal (D-San Antonio)
- Salman Bhojani (D-Euless)
- Greg Bonnen (R-Friendswood)
- Rhetta Bowers (D-Garland)
- Brad Buckley (R-Salado)
- John Bucy III (D-Austin)
- Dustin Burrows (R-Lubbock)
- Angie Chen Button (R-Garland)
- Liz Campos (D-San Antonio)
- Terry Canales (D-Edinburg)
- Giovanni Capriglione (R-Southlake)
- Sheryl Cole (D-Austin)
- Philip Cortez (D-San Antonio)
- Tom Craddick (R-Midland)
- Drew Darby (R-San Angelo)
- Jay Dean (R-Longview)
- Harold Dutton, Jr. (D-Houston)
- Caroline Fairly (R-Amarillo)
- Lulu Flores (D-Austin)
- Erin Gamez (D-Brownsville)
- Josey Garcia (D-San Antonio)
- Linda Garcia (D-Dallas)
- Cassandra Garcia Hernandez (D-Dallas)
- Gary Gates (R-Richmond)
- Stan Gerdes (R-Smithville)
- Charlie Geren (R-Fort Worth)
- Barbara Gervin-Hawkins (D-San Antonio)
- Jessica Gonzalez (D-Dallas)
- Mary Gonzalez (D-El Paso)
- R.D.”Bobby” Guerra (D-Mission)
- Sam Harless (R-Spring)
- Cody Harris (R-Palestine)
- Cole Hefner (R-Mount Pleasant)
- Ana Hernandez (D-Houston)
- Donna Howard (D-Austin)
- Lacey Hull (R-Houston)
- Todd Hunter (R-Corpus Christi)
- Ann Johnson (D-Houston)
- Jolanda Jones (D-Houston)
- Venton Jones (D-Dallas)
- Ken King (R-Canadian)
- Stan Kitzman (R-Pattison)
- Suleman Lalani (D-Sugar Land)
- Stan Lambert (R-Abilene)
- Brooks Landgraf (R-Odessa)
- Jeff Leach (R-Allen)
- Oscar Longoria (D-Mission)
- Janie Lopez (R-San Benito)
- Ray Lopez (D-San Antonio)
- Christian Manuel (D-Beaumont)
- Armando Martinez (D-Weslaco)
- Trey Martinez Fischer (D-San Antonio)
- John McQueeney (R-Fort Worth)
- Will Metcalf (R-Magnolia)
- Morgan Meyer (R-Dallas)
- Joe Moody (D-El Paso)
- Eddie Morales (D-Eagle Pass)
- Penny Morales Shaw (D-Houston)
- Claudia Ordaz (D-El Paso)
- Angelia Orr (R-Itasca)
- Jared Patterson (R-Frisco)
- Mary Ann Perez (D-Houston)
- Vince Perez (D-El Paso)
- Dade Phelan (R-Beaumont)
- Mihaela Plesa (D-Dallas)
- Ron Reynolds (D-Missouri City)
- Ramon Romero Jr. (D-Fort Worth)
- Toni Rose (D-Dallas)
- Jon Rosenthal (D-Houston)
- Lauren Simmons (D-Houston)
- James Talarico (D-Austin)
- Carl Tepper (R-Lubbock)
- Senfronia Thompson (D-Houston)
- Chris Turner (D-Grand Prairie)
- Gary VanDeaver (R-New Boston)
- Denise Villalobos (R-Corpus Christi)
- Hubert Vo (D-Houston)
- Armando Walle (D-Houston)
- Terry Wilson (R-Marble Falls)
- Gene Wu (D-Houston)
- Erin Zwiener (D-Driftwood)
Cook
52 Republicans/3 Democrats
- Daniel Alders (R)
- Trent Ashby (R-Lufkin)
- Ben Bumgarner (R-)
- Briscoe Cain (R-Deer Park)
- David Cook (R-Mansfield)
- Richard Cunningham (R-)
- Pat Curry (R-Waco)
- Mano DeAyala (R-)
- Mark Dorazio (R-San Antonio)
- Paul Dyson (R-)
- James Frank (R-Wichita Falls)
- Ryan Guillen (R-Rio Grande City)
- Caroline Harris Davila (R-Round Rock)
- Brian Harrison (R-Midlothian)
- Richard Hayes (R-Hickory Creek)
- Hillary Hickland (R-Temple)
- Janis Holt (R-Silsbee)
- Andy Hopper (R-Decatur)
- Carrie Isaac (R-Dripping Springs)
- Helen Kerwin (R-Fort Worth)
- Marc LaHood (R-San Antonio)
- Terri Leo-Wilson (R-Galveston)
- Mitch Little (R-Lewisville)
- A.J. Louderback (R-Victoria)
- David Lowe (R-Fort Worth)
- J.M. Lozano (R-Kinsgville)
- John Lujan (R-San Antonio)
- Shelley Luther (R-Sherman)
- Don McLaughlin, Jr. (R-Uvalde)
- Brent Money (R-Greenville)
- Matt Morgan (R-Richmond)
- Sergio Muñoz Jr. (D-Palmview)
- Candy Noble (R-Lucas)
- Mike Olcott (R-Fort Worth)
- Tom Oliverson (R-Cypress)
- Dennis Paul (R-Houston)
- Katrina Pierson (R-Rockwall)
- Ana-María Ramos (D-Richardson)
- Richard Peña Raymond (D-Laredo)
- Keresa Richardson (R-McKinney)
- Nate Schatzline (R-Fort Worth)
- Mike Schofield (R-Katy)
- Alan Schoolcraft (R-McQueeney)
- Matt Shaheen (R-Plano)
- Joanne Shofner (R-Nacogdoches)
- Shelby Slawson (R-Stephenville)
- John Smithee (R-Amarillo)
- David Spiller (R-Jacksboro)
- Valoree Swanson (R-Spring)
- Tony Tinderholt (R-Arlington)
- Ellen Troxclair (R-Lakeway)
- Steve Toth (R-The Woodlands)
- Cody Vasut (R-Angleton)
- Wes Virdell (R-Brady)
- Trey Wharton (R-Huntsville)
Present-not-Voting
9 Democrats
- Alma Allen (D-Houston)
- John Bryant (D-Dallas)
- Nicole Collier (D-Fort Worth)
- Aicha Davis (D-Dallas)
- Vikki Goodwin (D-Austin)
- Gina Hinojosa (D-Austin)
- Terry Meza (D-Irving)
- Christina Morales (D-Houston)
- Charlene Ward Johnson (D-Houston)
Absent
1 Democrat
- Yvonne Davis (D-Dallas)
The following are the House lawmakers who upon the second ballot switched their votes to either Burrow or Cook:
Switched to Burrows
2 Republicans/12 Democrats
- Tom Craddick (R-Midland)
- Lulu Flores (D-Austin)
- Josey Garcia (D-San Antonio)
- Barbara Gervin-Hawkins (D-San Antonio)
- Jessica Gonzalez (D-Dallas)
- Sam Harless (R-Spring)
- Jolanda Jones (D-Houston)
- Suleman Lalani (D-Sugar Land)
- Ray Lopez (D-San Antonio)
- Trey Martinez-Fischer (D-San Antonio)
- Penny Morales Shaw (D-Houston)
- Ron Reynolds (D-Missouri City)
- Ramon Romero, Jr. (D-Fort Worth)
- Senfronia Thompson (D-Houston)
Switched to Cook
1 Democrat
- Ana-Maria Ramos (D-Richardson)
Shortly after winning the election, Burrows took to social media and said,
“The duty bestowed upon me today as Speaker of the Texas House is one of immense responsibility and honor, and I thank each of my colleagues for their trust and vote of confidence. As Speaker, I stand ready to support every member as we collectively navigate the most pressing issues facing Texans today—issues ranging from improving education to providing additional property tax relief, bolstering water resources, fighting for safer communities, and everything in between. While the majority will guide our course, the House’s strength lies in its diversity, and my leadership will be dedicated to ensuring every voice is heard and every district represented this session.”
Source: Twitter/X Post, State Rep. Dustin Burrows (R-Lubbock), 1.14.2025
In a statement, Texas Lieutenant Governor Dan Patrick said,
“Today, on the second ballot, Republican Dustin Burrows was elected Speaker of the Texas House with a majority of Democrats and a minority of Republican votes. Despite having a clear majority of Republican votes, Rep. David Cook (R-Mansfield) was defeated. Speaker Burrows was handed the speakership by Democrats, as has happened behind closed doors session after session since 2009. This may be the first time in our nation’s history where the minority party openly elected the speaker of a legislative body instead of the majority party.”
Source: Statement, Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick (R), 1.14.2025
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