Changes

To win the Speakership, Straus, armed with [[Democratic Party|Democratic]] backing, unseated fellow Republican [[Tom Craddick]] of [[Midland]], Texas, the senior member of the state House and its first ever Republican Speaker, a post that he held from 2003 to 2009.

To win the Speakership, Straus, armed with [[Democratic Party|Democratic]] backing, unseated fellow Republican [[Tom Craddick]] of [[Midland]], Texas, the senior member of the state House and its first ever Republican Speaker, a post that he held from 2003 to 2009.

In the final weeks of 2010, a movement developed among some [[conservative]] Republican citizens and political figures to replace Straus as Speaker. State Republican Executive Committee member [[John Cook]] wrote in an [[e-mail]] to a colleague: "We elected a house with [[Christian]], conservative values. We now want a true Christian, conservative running it." The dissident conservatives stressed that their opposition to Straus is not because the Speaker is [[Jewish]], but that the Speaker should have [[pro-life]], pro-family values.<ref>http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2010/12/09/christian-conservative-replace-jewish-speaker-texan-pols-say/</ref>

In the final weeks of 2010, a movement developed among some [[conservative]] Republican citizens and political figures to replace Straus as Speaker. State Republican Executive Committee member John Cook wrote in an [[e-mail]] to a colleague: "We elected a house with [[Christian]], conservative values. We now want a true Christian, conservative running it." The dissident conservatives stressed that their opposition to Straus is not because the Speaker is [[Jewish]], but that the Speaker should have [[pro-life]], pro-family values.<ref>http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2010/12/09/christian-conservative-replace-jewish-speaker-texan-pols-say/</ref>

On January 11, 2011, the Texas House nevertheless reelected Speaker Straus, 132-15. The dissenters, including [[Bryan Hughes]] of Mineola, [[Warren Chisum]] of Pampa, and [[Ken Paxton]] of McKinney, Texas (later the Texas attorney general), have been termed by [[Tea Party]] activists as the "Texas 15."<ref>http://trailblazersblog.dallasnews.com/archives/2011/01/tea-party-adherents-hail-the-t.html</ref>

On January 11, 2011, the Texas House nevertheless reelected Speaker Straus, 132-15. The dissenters, including [[Bryan Hughes]] of Mineola, [[Warren Chisum]] of Pampa, and [[Ken Paxton]] of McKinney, Texas (who in 2015 became the Texas attorney general), have been termed by [[Tea Party]] activists as the "Texas 15."<ref>http://trailblazersblog.dallasnews.com/archives/2011/01/tea-party-adherents-hail-the-t.html</ref>

No opponent has yet declared intentions to oppose Straus in the Republican scheduled for March 6, 2018. If Straus remains in the House, he will face an announced challenge for Speaker in 2019 from state Representative Phillip Stephen "Phil" King of Weatherford in Parker County. King has been a House member six years longer than Straus.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.dallasnews.com/news/texas-legislature/2017/09/22/weatherford-lawmaker-phil-king-announces-bid-texas-house-speaker|title=Weatherford lawmaker Phil King announces bid for Texas House Speaker|publisher=''Dallas Morning News''|author=Gromer Jeffers, Jr.|date=September 22, 2017|accessdate=September 27, 2017}}</ref>

No opponent has yet declared intentions to oppose Straus in the Republican scheduled for March 6, 2018. If Straus remains in the House, he will face an announced challenge for Speaker in 2019 from state Representative Phillip Stephen "Phil" King of Weatherford in Parker County. King has been a House member six years longer than Straus.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.dallasnews.com/news/texas-legislature/2017/09/22/weatherford-lawmaker-phil-king-announces-bid-texas-house-speaker|title=Weatherford lawmaker Phil King announces bid for Texas House Speaker|publisher=''Dallas Morning News''|author=Gromer Jeffers, Jr.|date=September 22, 2017|accessdate=September 27, 2017}}</ref>