House Speaker Joe Straus released the names of 98 106 111 state representatives who he says have pledged to elect him to a second term as speaker in January 2011.Straus says a few more names have trickled in since he released this list he's now released two supplemental lists and says he's confident he's got the support he needs for another two years in the job.
Straus' Republicans hold a 76-74 majority in the Texas House. A few of the Democrats who pledged to the speaker did so, he said, with the understanding that they'll leave the fold if Democrats win the majority in the next election cycle. "Most just signed the pledge card," he said.
Straus hasn't presented the members with a set of ideas about what he'd do with a second term that'll come later, he said. But he wants to "play a role in setting the agenda" in his second session something he didn't have time to develop in his sudden rise from sophomore member to speaker in January.
Update: Straus started with 98 names, and added eight more: Republicans Joe Driver, Patricia Harless, Sid Miller, John Smithee, and Larry Taylor, and Democrats David Farabee, Jessica Farrar, and Donna Howard.
Update #2: Add Democrat Diana Maldonado, and Republicans Charles "Doc" Anderson, Betty Brown, Susan King, and Debbie Riddle.
The full lists (as of 6/11) follow.
Democrats (55): Roberto Alonzo, Carol Alvarado, Rafael Anchia, Valinda Bolton, Joaquin Castro, Norma Chavez, Ellen Cohen, Garnet Coleman, Joseph "Joe" Deshotel, Dawnna Dukes, Craig Eiland, Kirk England, David Farabee, Jessica Farrar, Stephen Frost, Pete Gallego, Veronica Gonzales, Ryan Guillen, Roland Gutierrez, Ana Hernandez, Abel Herrero, Scott Hochberg, Mark Homer, Chuck Hopson, Donna Howard, Carol Kent, Tracy King, Eddie Lucio III, Diana Maldonado, Marisa Marquez, Armando "Mando" Martinez, Ruth Jones McClendon, Jim McReynolds, Jose Menendez, Robert Miklos, Joseph Moody, Rene Oliveira, Solomon Ortiz Jr., Aaron Peña, Joseph "Joe" Pickett, Paula Pierson, Chente Quintanilla, Richard Peña Raymond, Allan Ritter, Eddie Rodriguez, Patrick Rose, Mark Strama, Kristi Thibaut, Senfronia Thompson, Yvonne Gonzalez Toureilles, Chris Turner, Allen Vaught, Marc Veasey, Michael "Mike" Villarreal, and Tara Rios Ybarra.
Republicans (56): Charles "Doc" Anderson, Jimmie Don Aycock, Dwayne Bohac, Dennis Bonnen, Dan Branch, Betty Brown, Angie Chen Button, Byron Cook, Frank Corte Jr., Brandon Creighton, Drew Darby, John Davis, Joe Driver, Rob Eissler, Gary Elkins, Charlie Geren, Mike "Tuffy" Hamilton, Richard "Rick" Hardcastle, Patricia Harless, Linda Harper-Brown, Bryan Hughes, Todd Hunter, Carl Isett, Jim Jackson, Delwin Jones, James "Jim" Keffer, Susan King, Tim Kleinschmidt , Lois Kolkhorst, Edmund Kuempel, Jodie Laubenberg, Ken Legler, Jerry Madden, Brian McCall, Thomas "Tommy" Merritt, Doug Miller, Sid Miller, Rob Orr, John Otto, Tan Parker, Diane Patrick, Ken Paxton, Larry Phillips, Jim Pitts, Debbie Riddle, Ralph Sheffield, Mark Shelton, Todd Smith, John Smithee, Burt Solomons, Joe Straus, David Swinford, Larry Taylor, Vicki Truitt, Randy Weber, and John Zerwas.
Unsigned Democrats (19): Alma Allen, Lon Burnam, Yvonne Davis, Jim Dunnam, Harold Dutton, Al Edwards, Joe Farias, Kino Flores, Helen Giddings, Joe Heflin, Terri Hodge, David Leibowitz, Barbara Mallory Caraway, Trey Martinez Fischer, Elliot Naishtat, Dora Olivo, Sylvester Turner, Hubert Vo, and Armando Walle.
Unsigned Republicans (20): Leo Berman, Fred Brown, Bill Callegari, Warren Chisum, Wayne Christian, Joe Crabb, Tom Craddick, Myra Crownover, Allen Fletcher, Dan Flynn, Dan Gattis, Kelly Hancock, Will Hartnett, Harvey Hilderbran, Charlie Howard, Phil King, Tryon Lewis, Geanie Morrison, Wayne Smith, and Beverly Woolley.