Here is hard evidence of a speaker’s race.
I received this e-mail this morning as a comment submitted to the blog in response to my post of yesterday, “87 Votes.”
Craddick’s scared–here’s an email his team sent out this weekend to Republican leaders:
County Chairs and SREC Members
There is reportedly a movement in the House to call for Speaker Tom Craddick to vacate the chair. This move would greatly empower the Democrats in the next election by taking out the number one fundraiser for the House and the only one who can connect effectively with the party and with grassroots. Make no mistake — this is not about Craddick and is all about the majority. The members listed below may or may not be holding firm w/ the Speaker.
Would you please help find anyone who is voting against the Speaker or who is riding the fence? Please let me know asap what you can find out. The list below is where the problems are suspected. While a speaker’s race is off limits for outside organizations, this is different. A motion to vacate the chair is not a speaker’s race and organizations should be under their normal rules.
Please respond via email.
Latest word is the confirmation that if they can get the votes, they definitely will do this and probably Monday and no later than Thursday.
Members in question:
Fred Brown
John Otto
Byron Cook
Kirk England
Dan Gattis
Mike Krusee
Bryan Hughes
Gary Elkins
Todd Smith
Bert Solomons
Harvey Hilderbran
Dennis Bonnen
If any of these names are your Rep. please contact them and let me know where they stand. If your REP. is not on this list call them and tell them to please back the SPEAKER he has been a great help to the County Chairman’s Association in getting our Legislation passed.
SKIPPER WALLACE
TRCCA LEG. CHAIR
Lampasas County Chair
SREC SD24
I talked to Mr. Wallace this morning to confirm that he did, indeed, send out this e-mail. He confirmed it, adding that someone else had sent it to him and that this is part of a general effort. Wallace is the legislative chairman of the Texas Republican County Chairman’s Association.
We are now entering uncharted territory: a speaker’s race in the last two weeks of a legislative session with the entire legislative agenda on the table. Remember this moment, folks. This is history. No one has ever seen anything like it; no one may ever see it again.
