NEW: RINO House Speaker Ends Leadership Bid After MAGA Pushback In Deep Red State

Texas House Speaker Dave Phelan, who led the effort to impeach the popular, Trump-endorsed Attorney General of Texas, Ken Paxton, announced Friday that he will not be seeking a third term as speaker.

Phelan’s choice to end his leadership bid comes as he was facing an uphill battle to secure a third term.

“By stepping aside, I believe we create the best opportunity for our members to rally around a new candidate who will uphold the principles that make our House one of the most exceptional, deliberative legislative bodies in the country—a place where honor, integrity, and the right of every member to vote their district takes utmost precedent,” Phelan wrote in a statement.

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Phelan angered the Trump base when he successfully impeached Paxton in the Texas State House last year. The impeachment vote was rammed through over Memorial Day weekend and was passed without any formal process or hearing of evidence.

Under Texas law, Paxton was immediately removed from office following his impeachment, though he ultimately remained in host post after being found not guilty in an impeachment trial.

Dade Phelan’s reign as Speaker has officially come to an end, and it’s about time. pic.twitter.com/6SrAyKG7Ge

— David Covey (@CoveyTX) December 6, 2024

Earlier this year, Phelan barely survived a primary challenge from conservative challenger David Covey, who had received endorsements from Paxton, Lieutenant Governor Dan Patrick and President-elect Donald Trump. “Any Republican backing Phelan is a fool, and should be disassociated from the Republican Party,” Trump wrote in a Truth Social post back in February.

Paxton celebrated Phelan’s decision to step down from leadership in a statement of his own, referring to his legacy as one of “betrayal.”

“Phelan’s legacy is one of betrayal: prioritizing Democrat interests over his own caucus, leaving Republican members exposed, attempting a shameful impeachment stunt and consistently failing to deliver for the voters who sent him to Austin,” Paxton wrote in a statement. “His so-called ‘leadership’ disqualified him long before this moment.”

With Phelan out of the race, Texas State Reps. Dustin Burrows and David Cook have emerged as leading candidates to fill the leadership role. Burrows has faced criticism from conservatives on the issue of gender reassignment surgery for minors, while Paxton has labeled him as being part of the “Austin establishment.”

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