State Rep. Senfronia Thompson, a Houston Democrat, said Friday that she has enough votes to win the Texas House speaker's gavel when the Legislature convenes in January. She did not release a list of supporters or say how many members back her.
Hours earlier, state Rep. Eddie Morales Jr., a centrist Democrat from Eagle Pass and Thompson's only other competitor, dropped his bid and endorsed her. State Rep. Rafael Anchia, D-Dallas, described her support as "overwhelming" and said it was growing. Thompson, 87, said at a Capitol news conference that "the majority of the House has pledged to me."
If elected, Thompson would be the first woman and the first Black lawmaker to serve as Texas House speaker. Her bid follows Democrats' gains in Tuesday's midterm elections, when they won every statewide seat on the ballot and their first House majority since 2003. Democrats were poised to control more than 80 of the 150 seats, with some races not yet officially called. According to the reporting, the shift all but ensures that Republican Speaker Dustin Burrows of Lubbock will lose the gavel.