Coalition of 81 Organization Leaders Declare Stance

on Texas House Speaker Selection Process:

We intend to hold GOP candidates accountable.

Monday, November 27, 2017

For immediate release
Contact: JoAnn Fleming (903) 360-2858

The Establishment wing of the Texas GOP has signaled it is ready to

make a deal with the Democrats. "What is incredibly important is that
the speaker candidate that's ultimately rallied around needs to be rallied
around by both the Republicans and the Democrats," Zerwas said. [GOP
Rep. John Zerwas, a declared Speaker candidate, Dallas Morning News,
11/6/17]

This is exactly how we ended up with a Republican House Speaker who

boldly proclaimed his intentions to obstruct key legislative initiatives
supported by Governor Greg Abbott and Lt. Governor Dan Patrick and
obstruct he did. Session after session, numerous pro-taxpayer initiatives
have been killed by the current Speaker and his Committee Chairs.

Conservative grassroots leaders across Texas have had enough of it, and so
has Texas Republican Party Chairman James Dickey.

When it comes to State House Republicans nominating a Republican

candidate for Texas House Speaker, Texas State Republican Party
Chairman James Dickey has drawn a line in the sand

When House candidates file for office, we will ask them whether they will
commit or not commit to supporting the [speaker] choice of the GOP
Caucus, Texas GOP State Chairman James Dickey. [The pledge is posted
on TexasGOP.org.]

The 2016 Texas Republican Party Platform reads:

We call for the Republican members to caucus after each November
general election to determine by secure secret ballot, their candidate for
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Speaker. We also call for the Republican members to vote as a unified body
for their selected speaker candidate when the legislature convenes in
regular session.

A five-member working group of the Texas House GOP Caucus has

proposed a non-binding Texas House Speaker selection process. The
House Caucus is scheduled to discuss the recommendations on December
1, 2017.

This Coalition is highly skeptical of the non-binding nature of the current

recommendations. We have no confidence in bylaws changes that are non-
binding. Where is the accountability?

Because we believe a move is afoot to ensure status-quo, non-

accountability for Republican House members, we, the undersigned,
declare that we are fed up with obstructionists in the Texas House who
work overtime to sabotage property tax reform, spending limits, and a
whole host of conservative reforms supported by the Texas Republican
Party Platform.

We are tired of Republicans running as conservatives, but after being

elected, legislating like Democrats and being proud of it! Therefore, the
following statement represents our strong intention to hold Republican
candidates for the Texas House accountable for their actions:

Our organization will not support any Republican Candidate for the Texas
House, incumbent or challenger, who does not support amending the
House Republican Caucus bylaws to require the nomination of a Speaker
Candidate in the Caucus and to require all Republicans vote as a block for
that candidate on the House floor when the 86th Texas Legislature convenes
in 2019.

The undersigned Texas Grassroots Leaders,*

Don Dyer, Spokesman & Treasurer, New Leadership PAC

Tim Lambert, Chairman, Texas Home School Coalition PAC

JoAnn Fleming, Executive Director, Grassroots America - We the People PAC

Cathie Adams, Vice-President, National Eagle Forum Council; Past President,

Texas Eagle Forum
Trayce Bradford, President, Texas Eagle Forum PAC

Elizabeth Graham, Director, Texas Right to Life PAC

Aaron Harris, Executive Director, Direct Action Texas

Jonathan Saenz, President, Texas Values Action

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Mike Olcott, Co-founder, Parker County Conservatives

Toni & Tom Fabry, Chairman & Treasurer, Frisco TEA Party
Adam Cahn, Austin Political Blogger, Cahnmans Musings
Anna Bartosh, Treasurer, San Angelo TEA Party; Tom Green County GOP
Precinct Chair, SD 28
Alice Cromwell, Dallas County Conservative, SD16
Bill Bingham, Spokesman, Bryan/College Station TEA Party, SD5
Bill & Patty Gallagher, owners of The PrimaData Liberty Center, SD 2
Bill Hussey, Founder & Vice-President, Llano TEA Party
Bob Farris, Park Cities/Preston Hollow Leadership Forum, SD12
Brady Whatley, Flower Mound Area Republican Club
Butch Marsalis, past President, Panola County Conservatives; National
GOP Delegate
Carol Doucet, a Founder, Conservative Society of Navarro County; Navarro
County GOP Precinct Chair

Carroll Maxwell, Past Pres./Board Member, Collin Co. Conservative Republicans;

Collin County GOP Precinct Chair
Char Doonan, Wood County Conservatives, SD1
Cindi Castilla, President, Dallas Eagle Forum; Dallas County GOP Precinct Chair
CJ Grisham, Founder, Open Carry Texas
Connie Currie, West Texas Conservative Leadership, Lubbock GOP
David Carter, Bell County Election Judge, Precinct 311
David & Rena French, Grassroots America VIP Founder members
David Wilson, Director, Cypress Texas Tea Party; Harris County GOP Precinct Chair
Davis Ford, TEA Party Conservatives -Temple
Deborah Bailey, San Angelo TEA Party , SD28
Della Clark, Charter Member, Grassroots America We the People PAC
Denise Rives, Star Republican Women, SD24
Dennis Cable, State Republican Executive Committee, SD 1
Don P. Dixon, transportation reform activist & blogger, San Antonio
Dr. Barry A. Schlech, Ph.D., Past President & VP, current Communications
Director, Texas Patriots TEA Party
Dr. Carole Hornsby Haynes, Ph.D., Educator, Education Policy Analyst
Dr. Dwayne Collins, DVM, Founder & Chairman, Edom TEA Party
Ed Griffin, Immediate Past President Frisco Area Republicans
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Emmanuel Lewis, Irving Conservatives

Ernie Clark, Past President, Grassroots America We the People PAC
Faye Hussey, founding member, Llano TEA Party, SD24
Gary Gentz, Henderson County TEA Party
Geri Bentley, Founding Member & Treasurer, Clear Lake TEA Party
George Pangborn, President, Highland Lakes TEA Party
H. Scott Apley, GOP Precinct Chair, Galveston County
Jan Shedd, Webmaster & Events Coordinator, Kaufman County TEA Party
Janice Carter, Temple Texas John Birch Society Chapter
Janie Brittain, Steering Committee member, Garland TEA Party
Jeff Judson, Bexar County GOP Precinct Chair
Jeremiah Hunter, Chairman, We the People Longview TEA Party
Jim Stanley, Chairman, Henderson County TEA Party; Henderson County GOP
Precinct Chair
Joe Harrison, Founder & Organizer, Cass County Patriots
Joel Starnes, Founder, The Organization for American Values
Josie Schoolcraft, President, Cherokee County Republican Club; Cherokee
County GOP Precinct Chair
Joyce Jones, Leader, Central Texas TEA Party
Judy Brady, founding member, Central Texas TEA Party, SD31
Karen Marsalis, past President & VP of Panola County Republican Women;
Panola County GOP Precinct Chair
Karen White, Coordinator, North Dallas TEA Party
Karl Voigtsberger, State Republican Executive Committee, SD 8
Kathy Eisenbach, charter member, Grassroots America - We the People PAC
Larry Korkmas, President, TFIRE; Vice President, TEC, The Executive Council;
Harris County GOP Precinct Chair
Laura Perryman, Vice-President, Grassroots America We the People PAC
Lyleann McClellan Thee, President, San Angelo TEA Party
Maggie Wright, founding member/past president, Texas Patriots TEA Party
Maria Espinoza, Co-founder & National Director, The Remembrance Project,
Washington, DC

Maria Martinez, Houston Inner Loop Grassroots

Mark Montgomery, President, Dallas County Republican Assembly
Mark Ramsey, State GOP Exec. Committee, SD 7; SREC Officials Committee
Mary Jo Cason, Kaufman County TEA Party
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Matt Long, President, Fredericksburg TEA Party of Texas

Melody Spray, charter member, Harrison County - We the People
Mike Openshaw, Co-Founder North Texas Tea Party
Mike Robertson, President, Clear Lake Area Republicans
Mike Slaton, Conservative Activist, SD2
Nancy Dillard, President, Denton County Conservative Coalition
Penny Story, Founder, Constitutional Conservative Activists
Phillip Sevilla, Texas Leadership Institute for Public Advocacy; Bexar County
GOP Precinct Chair
Randy Rives, Conservative Activist, SD24
Ray Myers, Chairman, Kaufman County Tea Party
Rene Poe, Founder & Executive Committeewoman Hood County Tea Party
Rebecca Forest, President, Women on the Wall
Rick Briscoe, Open Carry Texas
Rick Eisenbach, President, Grassroots America We the People PAC
Robert J. Kecseg, President, Lake Country Republican Club, Wood County
Ruth York, President, TEA Party Patriots of Eastland County
Sheri Edwards, Brazoria County GOP Precinct Chair
Stacy McMahan, Executive Director, East Texans for Liberty
Suezette Griffin, President, Clear Lake TEA Party
Susan Lucas, Recording Secretary, Denton County Conservative Coalition
Suzanne Guggenheim, South TX TEA Party Patriots State Coordinator; Nueces
County GOP Precinct Chair
Sylvia Fasone, Bexar County GOP Precinct Chair; Communication Chair,
Destiny of Our Nation
Tammy Blair, Republican Party County Chair, Cherokee County
Teresa Beckmeyer, Chairman, Mitchell County Republican Party
Terri Hall, Founder/Director, Texans Uniting for Reform and Freedom (TURF)
Terry Wade, President, Collin County Conservative Republicans; Collin County
GOP Precinct Chair
Tillie Perkins, Red Texas Forum, East Dallas County, SD 8
Vicki Slaton, State Republican Executive Committeewoman, SD 2
Wes Brumit, Voices of Conservatism and Liberty PAC (VOCAL)
Brian E. Newman, President, McKinney TEA Party

* Organizations are listed for identification purposes only.

This Coalition is a project of Grassroots America - We the People PAC.
Political advertising is paid for by Grassroots America We the People PAC.