Back in December, Rep. Dustin Burrows’ grasp on the speakership was, at best, tenuous.

His main rival, Rep. David Cook of Mansfield, had already won the endorsement of the House Republican Caucus, a victory his backers argued should’ve clinched his ascent to speaker of the GOP-controlled Texas House.

Instead, Burrows, surrounded by Republicans willing to defy caucus rules, claimed just minutes later that the race was over and that he had the 76 votes needed to lock up the gavel. He touted an even mix of Democratic and GOP support, though some Republicans immediately asked for their names to be removed, pushing him back under the threshold to win.

The competing pronouncements deepened a bitter, months-long power struggle within a Republican Party that had churned through three speakers i

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