Kudos to the Honorable Brian McCall, State Representative from Plano, for having the courage to run for Speaker of the Texas House against incumbent Speaker Tom Craddick.
While many Republican Texas House members privately grumbled and complained about the heavy-handed tactics employed by Speaker Craddick, Representative McCall was the only one willing to formally challenge the Speaker. Undoubtedly, State Rep. Jim Pitts only threw his hat in the ring after the race was opened up by McCall. If Pitts ultimately prevails, he will owe his victory to Brian McCall.
Although McCall earned the support of many key conservative Republicans, the Craddick spin machine focused on the fact that Democrats were crucial to a McCall victory. Ironically, this allegation comes from a Speaker who led a group of Republicans that swung the vote for Pete Laney back in the ‘90s. Craddick will not win this election on Tuesday without the support of Democrats. That is the nature of the campaign for Speaker.
Regardless of who wins on Tuesday, Republicans will have a leader who has been sent a clear message: Allow members to vote their conscience without retribution, and stop taking the support of conservatives for granted. We can all thank Brian McCall for this welcome change.
