Rep. James Frank Joins Growing List Of Republicans Challenging Speaker Phelan

Rep. James Frank of Wichita Falls has become the fourth Republican to announce his run for House Speaker challenging the incumbent Dade Phelan.

In a Tuesday statement, Frank announced his bid for the speakership, saying he would work to bring better communication with the senate and the governor’s office, decentralize the House’s power, and manage the legislative process more effectively.

“Following the end of last session, and especially after the primary election results of March, it became clear to me that the House itself and our voters want to move in a different direction,” Frank wrote in his statement. “By today’s actions, I am asking you to consider whether I represent that direction.”

In addition, he also vowed to appoint only Republicans as committee chairs. Phelan has been widely criticized for appointing a few Democrats as chairs.

“I believe we should have only Republican chairs,” Frank wrote. “This will allow significantly more Republican members to participate in leadership roles.” Frank also said that Texas is one of only three states in the U.S. that gives the minority leadership roles.

One of Frank’s key proposals was to improve the communication between the House and Lt. Gov Dan Patrick and Gov. Greg Abbott. Recently, Phelan has held a frosty relationship with Abbott and Patrick regularly attacks the Speaker in social media.

“Relationships don’t get better by not talking,” Frank said. “I have the time, willingness and understand the importance of spending as much energy as necessary to ensure communication flows between the chambers and among the members.”

Phelan has been targeted for being one of the House members voting to impeach Attorney General Ken Paxton and for not doing enough to save Abbott’s voucher proposal in the House.

Frank does support vouchers, but he was also one of the 60 House Republicans who voted to impeach Paxton, according to the Texas Tribune.

He has been a member of the House since 2012 and chaired the chamber’s Human Services Committee since 2019.

The other House Republicans that have announced their bid for the chamber’s leadership are state Reps. Tom Oliverson from Cypress, Shelby Slawson from Stephenville, and David Cook from Mansfield.