The Republican Party of Texas will soon decide whether to punish a group of Republican lawmakers under a newly toughened party rule that could even keep them off the ballot.
At their October 11 meeting, members of the State Republican Executive Committee will take up censure resolutions advanced from county parties against ten House Republicans, including Speaker Dustin Burrows along with State Reps. Dade Phelan, Morgan Meyer, Angie Chen Button, Angelia Orr, Cody Harris, Jared Patterson, Stan Lambert, Jeff Leach, and Gary VanDeaver.
Under Rule 44, local party committees may censure a Republican officeholder who has taken three or more actions in opposition to the party’s principles or legislative priorities. If such a resolution is sent to the SREC, the state committee may, by a three-fifths vote, impose penalties.
Those penalties can include withholding party resources, publicly discouraging the officeholder from running, or, in the most severe case, refusing to allow them on the Republican primary ballot for two years.
Notably, Phelan and Lambert have already announced they will not be seeking re-election.
