Texas House Speaker Dennis Bonnen has announced he is not running for re-election in 2020.
This comes the week after the release of a secretly recorded conversation where the Republican speaker sought help in finding opponents to run in next year’s primary against ten incumbents, including three members from the Brazos Valley.
Click below to listen to conversations with two of the representatives named by Bonnen, John Raney of Bryan and Kyle Kacal of College Station, during WTAW The Infomaniacs with Scott DeLucia
Statement from representative Trent Ashby of Lufkin, whose district includes Madison and Leon counties:
“Speaker Bonnen’s decision not to seek re-election as a State Representative, and subsequently as Speaker of the House, is in the best interest of all Texans. I want to publicly thank Speaker Bonnen not only for taking the appropriate action, but more importantly for his 22 years of dedicated public service. Scripture calls us to bear with each other and forgive one another if anyone has a complaint against another, just as Christ has forgiven each us. As we start in a new direction, I pray that we do so in a manner that allows us to forgive, heal, and provide principled leadership for the people of Texas.”
From the Associated Press:
AUSTIN, Texas (AP) — Texas GOP House Speaker Dennis Bonnen says he will not run for re-election, making the announcement less than a week after the release of a secretly recorded conversation in which Bonnen sought help ousting members of his own party in 2020 and called a female lawmaker “vile.”
Bonnen says in a statement Tuesday “it is clear that I can no longer seek re-election” as either a state representative or house speaker.
The Texas Republican Caucus had condemned Bonnen’s remarks.
The recorded conversation is at the center of an ongoing state police investigation into whether Bonnen improperly offered House media credentials in exchange for campaign help. It’s also thrown Republicans into disarray at a time when their state dominance is slipping.
Original story:
AUSTIN, Texas (AP) – The Texas House Republican caucus has condemned GOP Speaker Dennis Bonnen and Republican Rep. Dustin Burrows for secretly recorded comments asking a conservative group to target 10 GOP lawmakers in the 2020 primaries, calling a female lawmaker “vile” and saying President Donald Trump is “killing us” in pivotal state races.
The caucus released a statement Friday following a meeting in Austin saying it “condemns in the strongest possible terms” comments made during a June 12 meeting between Bonnen, Burrows and Empower Texans CEO Michael Quinn Sullivan, who released the recording Tuesday.
Bonnen previously denied offering media credentials to Sullivan’s website for helping defeat the GOP lawmakers in the primaries, then later apologized for “embarrassing” and “hurtful” comments. Tuesday he released a statement saying no laws were broken during what he called “a political discussion.”