Texas House Speaker Dennis Bonnen will not seek reelection

AUSTIN, Texas — In a statement released Tuesday morning, embattled Speaker of the House Dennis Bonnen, R-Lake Jackson, announced he will not seek reelection.

It has been a week since a secret recording of alleged back-door deals with a GOP lobbyist was made public. On Friday the Texas Republican Caucus condemned Bonnen's part in the recording.

In the statement released Tuesday, Speaker Bonnen said:

Since Friday, I have had numerous conversations with Members who care deeply about the Texas House, and I respect the manner in which they have handled this entire situation. After much prayer, consultation, and thoughtful consideration with my family, it is clear that I can no longer seek re-election as State Representative of District 25, and subsequently, as Speaker of the House. I care deeply about this body and the work we have accomplished over the years, namely, the outstanding success we achieved in the 86th Legislature. My below colleagues have made clear that it is in the best interest of both myself and the House to move on, and I thank them for the respectful and thoughtful way in which they have convinced me to do so.

On the recording, Bonnen and state Rep. Dustin Burrows, R-Lubbock, are caught offering hardline conservative activist Michael Quinn Sullivan media credentials for the next legislative session if his PAC funded opponents of ten incumbent Republican state representatives up for election in 2020, because they were deemed too moderate.

State Rep. Drew Darby, R-San Angelo, was on the list. “I think this is a new day and a new beginning. It’s a chance for all the members of the House to come together with a blank slate,” Darby said.

Currently, Bonnen is still the House Speaker and state representative, because he did not step down.

Texas Politics Project Director James Henson says, however, it’s a matter of when - not if - there will be a new House leader in January 2021, since there has been mounting tension within a nervous Republican Party. “Democrats seem closer to win a House majority in quite some time. It is a sign of the decay of one party ruling the state, and the advent of a more competitive environment,” Henson said.

House members can only move to remove Bonnen from his position as House Speaker when the Legislature is in session. “If there’s a special session, it marks the formal end of the speakership. Failing that, it waits until January 2021,” Henson said.

Days after the recording was released last week, the House Republican Caucus held their meeting - which was scheduled before news of the recording being made publicly available broke - and 43 members, which is a majority, called for Bonnen to quit or -at the very least - expressed a lack of confidence in his leadership. This included Bonnen’s brother, state Rep. Greg Bonnen, R-Friendswood.

On Monday, state Reps. Dan Huberty, John Frullo, Lyle Larson, Chris Paddie, and Four Price - four of whom were appointed by Bonnen to be committee chairmen - released a joint statement calling for a leadership change.

“I would think that necessitates a new speaker when we meet in January 2021,” Darby said.

Lieutenant Governor Dan Patrick, R-Texas, released the following statement Tuesday:

“Weeks ago, I called for the release of the now infamous tape so that every member of the House could hear it and make their own a decision. Many Republican House members have stood up in support of new leadership for the Texas House. I stand with Governor Abbott and will work over the next 13 months to elect Republicans and ensure the GOP maintains control of the Texas House — the future of Texas depends on it.”

Governor Greg Abbott, R-Texas, released the following statement:

“I thank Speaker Bonnen for working with me this session to cut property taxes, to pass the Born Alive Act, to fund border security, to pass ten laws expanding Second Amendment rights, to protect individual liberty by banning red light cameras, to protect free speech on college campuses, to protect religious freedoms, and to put on the ballot this November the ability to permanently ban a state income tax. Before becoming Speaker, Dennis Bonnen represented his district for over two decades with an unparalleled passion and vigor. I applaud Speaker Bonnen for his commitment to making Texas a better state, and Cecilia and I wish him, Kim, and his entire family all the best in the future.

“Looking ahead to 2020, the Republican Party of Texas must unite and work together to retain a majority in the Texas House. To that cause, I am redoubling my efforts to ensure we achieve that goal. All Republican House members have a list of accolades that makes them worthy of reelection, and I will work with each of them to tell that story to voters in their district. With hard work and leadership, we will ensure they have the resources to win in 2020 and return next session to continue to build upon our conservative successes.“

Abbott spoke at a luncheon for Texas oil and gas workers Tuesday. He did not talk with media before or after, but did mention the importance of re-electing Republicans in the House during his remarks to the crowd. “I’m going to be working in collaboration and support of he House members who made this last session so successful,” Abbott said.

Bonnen joined the House in 1997, and began his 12th term this past January. He served his first session as House Speaker during this most recent Legislature, taking over for Joe Straus.

After Straus announced he wasn’t running for re-election, vacating the position, state Reps. Darby, Phil King, Travis Clardy, amd Tan Parker are members still in the House who expressed interest in being House Speaker.

Darby says he has not thought that far ahead yet. “Oh, that’s certainly not on my radar. I’m focused on getting re-elected,” Darby said.

Henson says it would not be the right move to make a move for the position so soon after Bonnen’s announcement, and with more than a year until the next session. “People that jumped out early to succeed Joe Straus I think experienced a product cycle, and I think there was a general sense if you get out too early, you’re at a strategic disadvantage,” Henson said.

The Texas Rangers are still conducting an investigation into the meeting and recording.

Monday night, Bonnen posted a lengthy explanation of his involvement in the recorded conversation on Facebook:

I have great respect and admiration for our city and county officials. Understand why I said what I did. I am NOT anti local government, but I AM a pro-taxpayer conservative. It is the large, progressive, urban local governments that have been working against Texas taxpayers for years. For years, urban local governments in our state have run amok, using the cover of "local control" to pass whatever laws and ordinances they want. Permitting homeless camping. Banning ridesharing. Mandating paid sick leave and minimum wage hikes. Forcing annexation. The list goes on and on.

The issue here is not rural and small areas. I'm talking about the large urban cities who think they have the unlimited authority to mandate any progressive policy they want. When they exceed their jurisdiction, the state is obligated to keep them in check. It's not just about what they're pushing locally. If you're in a large urban area city or county, the very entities you send taxes to are turning around and using them to work against your best interests in our Capitol.

Here's what I was referring to in my conversation.

In the 86th session, they fought bills to ban taxpayer-funded lobbying and forced annexation. They were against taxpayers voting on property tax increases, increasing penalties for ballot fraud, and firefighters with occupational cancer getting the worker's compensation benefits they deserve. They've fought ballot disclosure measures that would show taxpayers what proposed bonds really cost, fought the ban on red light cameras, appraisal district board reform and they tried to increase your sales taxes to pay for mass transit.

It was the taxpayer-funded lobbyists for the big cities and counties who fought to stop lawmakers from increasing transparency in the property tax system – part of our larger effort to slash property taxes by $5B. In doing so, they sent a message to taxpayers that they don't think property taxes are a problem.

I've worked on the issue of property taxes for years. The big cities have had countless opportunities to come to the table and identify solutions that work for everyone. As property tax issues grew worse and worse, they turned a blind eye and continuously refused the chance to be a part of the solution. Texans sent us a clear message - they were sick and tired of skyrocketing property taxes and demanded solutions. So we stopped wasting time chasing after those who would never come around and used the time we had to do something about it. What can I say? I believe in efficient government.

Any session yielding $5 billion in property tax cuts and more transparency is a win for taxpayers. Big cities see it as a loss. It happened this session and it will happen again. I regret what I said and how I said it, but that's what I tried to convey in that 30 second soundbite of our hour-long conversation.

There is a lot we passed this session to support and benefit cities and counties. We added local resources to prepare for and respond to disasters, invested $6B in education and gave local school districts the discretion to use it, and we worked with rural and small revenue cities to find a workable solution for SB2, our landmark taxpayer transparency bill.

I want to reiterate that my foremost priority is the taxpayers of Texas. I firmly believe that local governments play an important role in our communities, so long as they have them as their top priority, too.