Houston State Rep. Senfronia Thompson stood before cameras Friday afternoon and declared she has the votes locked up to become the next Speaker of the Texas House. The announcement came just hours after her last publicly declared rival, Rep. Eddie Morales Jr. of Eagle Pass, dropped out of the race and threw his support behind her, leaving the 87-year-old Houston Democrat as the only lawmaker publicly seeking the gavel.
Thompson, who holds the title of Texas House Dean, held the Friday news conference to lay out her case for the speakership, according to KXAN. Morales, D-Eagle Pass, ended his own bid and endorsed her earlier that same morning, the station reported. Thompson told reporters she already has enough support to be elected speaker when the Legislature convenes in January, though that tally remains her own claim rather than an independently verified count, per the Houston Chronicle.
Winning the gavel requires 76 votes in the 150-member chamber, and Thompson framed her pitch as one that transcends party lines. “The gavel belongs to the people of this state of Texas,” she said Friday, according to KXAN's report. It's a message aimed at both Democrats and Republicans as the chamber heads into a leadership fight unlike any in recent memory.
A Historic Shakeup After Democrats Flip the House
The race for speaker is unfolding against the backdrop of a seismic shift in Texas politics. Early returns on Tuesday showed Democrats winning 76 of the chamber's 150 districts and leading in seven of 14 uncalled races, the Austin American-Statesman reported. The outcome flipped control of the Texas House, turning sitting Speaker Dustin Burrows, R-Lubbock, into a lame duck, according to a separate report from KRQE.
Six veteran House Democrats issued a joint statement late Tuesday backing Thompson, pointing to what the Statesman described as the history-making implications of choosing Texas's first Black and first woman to lead either chamber of the Legislature. If she wins in January, Thompson would be the first woman to hold the Texas House speakership; the Houston Chronicle's report also describes her as poised to become the first Black person to hold the seat.
Vote Counts Still in Flux
Exactly how close Thompson is to that 76-vote threshold depends on which count you believe. A Republican member told the Texas Tribune that someone soliciting votes on Thompson's behalf claimed she had as many as 65 members ready to back her as of Thursday. KRQE, meanwhile, reported a far smaller on-record figure — 20 colleagues publicly committed to Thompson, including herself — a tally the station noted still falls well short of the votes needed to claim the gavel.
Former Texas House Speaker Dennis Bonnen offered his own endorsement of Thompson's credentials Friday. “Her qualifications are better than any possible member of the Legislature,” Bonnen said, according to KXAN's coverage of the news conference.
A Long Career Leading to This Moment
Thompson, born in 1939, was first elected to the Texas House in 1972, KXAN reported — though KRQE described her tenure differently, saying she has served in the Texas Capitol since 1973. She represents House District 141, covering Northeast Houston and Humble, according to the Chronicle. This isn't her first run at the gavel, either: Thompson also sought the speakership in 2020, a bid that fell short when Democrats failed to take control of the chamber that cycle, the Chronicle noted.
This time, with Democrats now holding the majority after Tuesday's election, the dynamics are different. Whether that translates into the votes Thompson says she already has locked up won't be settled until lawmakers gavel in come January.
