Texas House Speaker Dustin Burrows, a Republican from Lubbock, has spent his first election cycle as speaker working to keep the GOP majority in the chamber, according to The Texas Tribune. He has sent millions of dollars to vulnerable Republican members, headlined fundraisers and campaigned in their districts, including on a recent bus tour.
In June, Burrows held a summit in Austin for dozens of Republican nominees. Attendees said he told them the political environment would be difficult and that every Republican, including those who had won by wide margins before, needed to run a serious race. Republican strategists said he has pushed candidates even in seemingly safe red districts to campaign as if their seats were competitive. State Rep. Matt Shaheen, R-Plano, said Burrows had changed what a speaker does to help members return.
Republicans have held the Texas House since 2003. They now hold 86 of the 150 seats, while Democrats hold 62. There are two vacancies in red-leaning districts that Republicans last held. Democrats would need to flip 14 seats to take control of the chamber. The midterm elections are next week.