Phelan Names Major Texas GOP Insider as Chief of Staff

It certainly appears as if Texas House Speaker Dade Phelan (R-Beaumont) is intending to hold his position when the legislature reconvenes next year. Mike Toomey is coming onboard as chief of staff, replacing Enrique Marquez who is leaving.

“Today I am thrilled to welcome Mike Toomey as the next Chief of Staff in the Office of the Speaker—his leadership will greatly benefit the state, my office and the entire Texas House,” said Speaker Phelan in a statement. “Mike is a storied titan of Texas politics, and his impressive experience in the public and private sectors—combined with a legendary work ethic and reputation as a seasoned strategist—make him exceptionally well-suited to lead our team.  “

As they say, you don’t go hunting rabbits with an elephant gun, and Toomey is a very large caliber political weapon. He’s been chief to Govs. Bill Clements and Rick Perry as well serving as a senior adviser to Governor Greg  Abbott. Previously, he was a three-term Texas Representative in his own right.

Toomey may also help Phelan in another way. The new chief has some very deep connections and possibly backstage connections to the larger GOP machinery, some of which is very angry with Phelan at the moment.

Back in 2011, Toomey owned a lavish island rental property on Lake Winnipesaukee in New Hampshire with Perry’s former presidential campaign manager David Carney. It contained three houses, a dock, and was reportedly worth $3 million. Toomey’s co-ownership with a candidate’s staff while operating a Super PAC was suspect, as by federal law these two sides of a political campaign are not even supposed to talk to each other.

While there is no evidence that Toomey did anything illegal, the relationship was pretty representative of possible backstage maneuvering between different sides of the Republican political machine.  

Phelan himself is a bit of an island at the moment. The speaker drew the ire of Abbott for not pushing through a school voucher bill as well as that of Attorney General Ken Paxton for proceeding with his impeachment. In turn, the far-right Christian nationalists who have become the dominant force in Texas Republicans politics, have put a target on Phelan’s back.

Toomey runs in those networks. While reclusive and barely-known outside of the Texas capitol, as a lobbyist and inside man he has made himself quite a reputation. More importantly, he is a pip through which a lot of money flows. Toomey has won billions of dollars worth of state contracts for his clients, and commands quite a bit of his own personal power.

It’s hard to see what will happen with Toomey in Phelan’s corner. If Toomey is sincere in the job, he can run interference against the major powers allied against the speaker. If not, he could be the inside man for the rest of the Texas GOP establishment. We’ll have to see when the fight fr the chair happens in January.