The Texas legislature this year has been defined by a contentious battle between the far-right Tea Party conservatives led by Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick, and the more moderate business-minded conservatives of House Speaker Joe Straus.
Now, as The Houston Chronicle reports, the battle has taken a new turn. During the regular session earlier this year, a new faction of hardline conservatives, known as the Texas Freedom Caucus, formed in the State House of Representatives. Now, this Freedom Caucus is laying the groundwork for removing moderate House Speaker Joe Straus from power.
The move is a response to what the caucus said are Straus’s repeated attempts to block the agenda of Gov. Greg Abbott.
Straus’s critics haven’t yet named a candidate to challenge the speaker next year, but Straus has managed to foil other attempts to unseat him in the past.