At a June summit in Austin, Speaker Dustin Burrows told dozens of Texas House Republican nominees to run a real race, attendees said. The political environment is expected to be difficult, they said.
Burrows has spent millions of dollars to help vulnerable members, headlined fundraisers and campaigned in their districts, including on a bus tour. Republican strategists said he has also pushed candidates in comfortable red districts to campaign as if their seats were in play. State Rep. Matt Shaheen, R-Plano, said, "He's transformed what a speaker does to make sure his members come back."
Republicans hold 86 of the 150 House seats, compared with 62 for Democrats, with two vacancies in red-leaning districts. Democrats would need to flip 14 seats to take the chamber. Burrows' spokesperson, Kim Carmichael, said in a statement that standing behind members and supporting their campaigns is a fundamental responsibility of the speaker.