Last spring, Governor Greg Abbott – with support from Unleash Prosperity Now members and many other groups – led a dramatic effort to beat school choice opponents in the Texas legislature in the Republican primary.

The results were spectacular.  A total of 15 anti-school choice Republicans were sent packing as punishment for killing Abbott’s signature bill to establish universal education savings accounts. Abbott declared he would have “enough votes to pass school choice” in the new legislative session beginning January 14.

But in the Texas House, Dade Phelan, the powerful Texas House Speaker who has dragged his feet on choice, is stepping down and backed his protege Dustin Burrows as a replacement.

The House Republican Caucus wisely rejected Burrows over the weekend in favor of school choice supporter David Cook.

But Burrows has now abandoned the caucus rules requiring all GOP members to support the caucus nominee for speaker. His supporters have teamed up with 38 liberals in an attempt to seize the Speakership in exchange for the Left being given power over policy and key committee chairmanships.

It is a betrayal of epic proportions.

The intrigue will continue for another month, but school choice supporters are adamant that Cook should be speaker. Running in favor of school choice, Republicans won 56% of the votes cast for State House last November, up from 52% in 2022. It would be a travesty to see the Left retain a share of power and use it to slow down the adoption of choice scholarships that would benefit three million Texas school kids.