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To win the Speaker's office, Schexnayder won the support of thirty-seven Democrats and [[Independent]]s and twenty-three Moderate Republicans. His more conservative opponent, [[Sherman Mack]], backed by conservatives, polled 45 votes. Mack was the choice of the Republican caucus and had been expected to win the race for Speaker. Though he is a Moderate Republican, Schexnayder said that he will support tort reform, which was blocked in the previous legislative sessions, to the consternation to conservative lawmakers.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.theadvocate.com/baton_rouge/news/politics/legislature/article_c49bd7fc-361c-11ea-bfcb-e37c0c069e39.html|title=Clay Schexnayder wins Louisiana House Speaker after push from Democrats|publisher=''The Baton Rouge Advocate''|author=Sam Karlin|accessdate=January 13, 2020}}</ref> The twenty-three Republicans who joined with thirty-five Democrats and two Independents to elect Schexnayder are known as the [[Louisiana Republican Fraud Squad]].

To win the Speaker's office, Schexnayder won the support of thirty-seven Democrats and [[Independent]]s and twenty-three Moderate Republicans. His more conservative opponent, [[Sherman Mack]], backed by conservatives, polled 45 votes. Mack was the choice of the Republican caucus and had been expected to win the race for Speaker. Though he is a Moderate Republican, Schexnayder said that he will support tort reform, which was blocked in the previous legislative sessions, to the consternation to conservative lawmakers.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.theadvocate.com/baton_rouge/news/politics/legislature/article_c49bd7fc-361c-11ea-bfcb-e37c0c069e39.html|title=Clay Schexnayder wins Louisiana House Speaker after push from Democrats|publisher=''The Baton Rouge Advocate''|author=Sam Karlin|accessdate=January 13, 2020}}</ref> The twenty-three Republicans who joined with thirty-five Democrats and two Independents to elect Schexnayder are known as the [[Louisiana Republican Fraud Squad]].

Schexnayder's assembled coalition is similar to that in [[Texas]] from 2009 to 2019, when Moderate Republican [[Joe Straus]] of [[San Antonio]] repeatedly won the Speakership based on the support of Democrats and several dozen Moderate Republicans. Stauss, a devotee of the late [[U.S. Senator]] [[John Tower]], blocked conservatives at nearly every turn in the Texas House..

Schexnayder's assembled coalition is similar to that in [[Texas]] from 2009 to 2019, when Moderate Republican [[Joe Straus]] of [[San Antonio]] repeatedly won the Speakership based on the support of Democrats and several dozen Moderate Republicans. Stauss, a devotee of the late [[U.S. Senator]] [[John Tower]], blocked conservatives at nearly every turn in the Texas House. That pattern in Texas was continued by current Speaker [[Dade Phelan]].

 

In 2023, Schexnayder, who was term-limited in the House, ran for secretary of state, a position which handles state elections which was vacated by the retiring [[Kyle Ardoin]]. Schexnayder faced several opponents, including Public Service Commissioner  and former state Republican Party chairman [[Mike Francis]] and former state Representative and Ardoin's executive assistant, Nancy Landry, and the 2019 Democrat choice for the position, Gwen Collins-Greenup.

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