Dade Phelan Has Dropped Out of the Contentious Texas House Speaker Race

House Speaker Dade Phelan on Friday announced he is dropping his bid for another term leading the lower chamber, ending a bruising, months-long, intraparty push to remove him from power.Phelan, a Beaumont Republican, had previously insisted he had enough votes to thwart a challenge from the right led by state Representative David Cook, of Mansfield, a former ally.“Out of deep respect for this institution and its members, and after careful consideration and private consultation with colleagues, I have made the difficult decision to withdraw from the race for Speaker of the Texas House,” Phelan said in a statement. “By stepping aside, I believe we create the best opportunity for our members to rally around a new candidate who will uphold the principles that make our House…

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