AUSTIN (AP) -- House Speaker Tom Craddick, the first Republican
speaker in the Texas Legislature in modern times, is dropping his
bid for a fourth term, four GOP House members said Sunday.
"I talked to the speaker. He has dropped his candidacy and
released his pledges," said Rep. Will Hartnett, a longtime
Craddick ally.
Craddick had been campaigning for a fourth term as the presiding
officer over the 150-member chamber, but his dwindling support
became insurmountable as Rep. Joe Straus, a relative newcomer to
the political arena, gained strength.
Shortly before word of Craddick's surrender spread, Straus,
R-San Antonio, released a list of 85 pledges of support, more than
enough to win the election on Jan. 13.
"It is time for a new tone and an atmosphere of trust in the
Texas House of Representatives," Straus said, upon announcing that
he had secured enough support to win the race. "Having received
the commitment of a strong majority of my colleagues, it is my goal
to restore civility, fairness and transparency to the House of
Representatives and its public-policy making process."
Republicans hold a 76-74 majority in the House. The narrow
partisan split and divided GOP loyalties mean House Democrats will
play a decisive role. All but four House Democrats endorsed Straus.
A core group of Republican conservatives, the bedrock of
Craddick's coalition, threw their support behind veteran Amarillo
Republican Rep. John Smithee, who entered the race Sunday.
"We're going to need a little bit of help from a higher power
and that's where we're looking," Smithee said after members of a
Republican caucus meeting Sunday night voted to support him.
Hartnett, who said he would be supporting Smithee, said Straus
is inexperienced and "virtually unknown in the House."
"Smithee is known - he's known, trusted and respected and I
think everyone in the House would feel comfortable with him as
speaker," said Hartnett, R-Dallas. "Obviously, it's a horserace
right now but Smithee is very popular."
Smithee did not return phone calls to The Associated Press.
Hartnett said he expected Craddick to endorse Smithee and also
told reporters he thought Craddick would return to the chamber as a
rank-and-file member and serve out his two-year term.
At a downtown Austin steakhouse, where Craddick had planned to
address the House Republican caucus, Craddick rushed through a
throng of reporters to get into the restaurant.
Republican Rep. Leo Berman, of Tyler, said the caucus members
were not deterred by Straus' hefty list of supporters. He said they
would start calling them to bring them to their side. Berman said
he wasn't worried that they were already pledged to Straus because
he said they had previously been pledged to Craddick.
He said Straus didn't stand for Republican values.
Craddick, the longest serving Republican in state elective
office, has been a lightning rod of controversy in Austin. He
famously faced down a rebellion at the end of the 2007 session
after replacing his rules advisers and claiming "absolute"
authority to brush aside challenges to his rule.
When first elected in 1968, Craddick became one of only eight
Republicans in the 150-member chamber. The longest-serving member
of the Legislature, Craddick's adept fundraising skills helped the
Republicans win an 88-62 majority in the House in 2003. It was the
first time the GOP led the chamber in more than 130 years. His
grateful colleagues promptly chose Craddick, an oilfield mud
salesman, to be their leader - and Texas' first Republican speaker
since 1871.
Since the GOP glory days of 2003, the party's majority has
shriveled to the narrow 76-74 lead.
In his first term, Craddick quickly pushed through a
conservative agenda of congressional redistricting and lawsuit
limitations.
"Speaker Tom Craddick has served with distinction in the Texas
House for four decades," Straus said. "I have great respect for
him personally, and honor his service to the state."
Craddick's tenure has been marked by complaints from Republicans
and Democrats that he rules the chamber like a dictator and forces
lawmakers to bend to his will.
Straus served in the presidential administrations of Ronald
Reagan and George H.W. Bush.
(Copyright ©2009 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)
