The ethics commission of the State Bar of Texas had sued Paxton for making dishonest claims of election fraud in a 2020 challenge to Biden's victory.

The trial lawyer from Lubbock has served in the House since 2015, slowly building his stature and overcoming a scandal in 2019.

Rep. Dustin Burrows of Lubbock, left, joined by his wife, Elizabeth, and their children is sworn in by Secretary of State Jane Nelson after being voted in the the House speaker position on the opening day of the legislative session. Michael Minasi / KUT News

The Texas GOP has been divided since the state House impeached Attorney General Ken Paxton, who was acquitted in the Senate.

Dustin Burrows as their new speaker after a month ... the fight had turned into a statewide campaign as Attorney General Ken Paxton toured the state, promising that any House Republican who ...

Dustin Burrows is elected Speaker of the Texas House, signaling potential bipartisanship in addressing state issues.

AUSTIN — Newly elected Texas House Speaker Dustin Burrows, R-Lubbock, struck a conciliatory tone in his victory speech after defeating David Cook, R-Mansfield in what split the GOP.

Since then, the vast majority of House speakers have been elected by acclamation or with more than 140 votes. Even Rep. Dade Phelan, whom hard-right Republicans forced from seeking a third term, received 143 votes in 2021 and 145 in 2023.

Texas GOP Representative-elect Shelley Luther wrote on X: "Today, the RINO (anti-MAGA) Establishment laughed in the faces of our Republican grassroots. They chose Democrat chairs and Lobbyist buddies over their voters. I look forward to seeing if they're still laughing after the next round of primaries. The fight starts today."

Members of the Texas House elected their new speaker Tuesday, state Rep. Dustin Burrows, R-Lubbock. They did so after the former speaker, state Rep. Dade Phelan, R-Beaumont, announced he wasn’t seeking the office,

After an unprecedented two rounds of voting, Rep. Dustin Burrows was elected as the next Speaker of the Texas House on the first day of the 89th session of the Texas Legislature, Tuesday, Jan. 14. The West Texas Republican won 88 votes to 55 for opponent Rep.

Dustin Burrows was elected as Speaker of the House on Tuesday ... Dan Patrick, Attorney General Ken Paxton and Donald Trump Jr. Phelan, who dropped out of the Speaker race, was among the first people to celebrate with Burrows as the final vote tally ...