Sunday, November 30, 1997
Hunter seeking Republican majority for House
By RICHARD HORN / Abilene Reporter-News
State Rep. Bob Hunter is all for electing a Republican majority
in the Texas House next year, but he's not yet pledging to support
a GOP speaker.
That kind of talk is premature, the Abilene Republican said
last week.
Hunter is one of the few -- though it's unclear how few --
House Republicans who refused to sign a pledge card vowing to
support a GOP speaker should the party finally take control of
the House.
"I've told our Republican caucus that it's entirely premature
for us to be talking about the speaker's race," Hunter said.
"We need to work as hard as we can to get our Republican
majority, and that's what we'll be working on."
House members elect the speaker, their presiding officer. Democrats
have always had a majority, and GOP members have traditionally
backed a Democrat for speaker.
But since the GOP, which won control of the Texas Senate in
1996, believes it has a real chance to control the House in the
1999 session, at least some Republicans want to make sure they
control the speakership, too.
Some conservative Republicans object that so many of their
party colleagues tend to rally around current House Speaker Pete
Laney, D-Hale Center.
Republican State Rep. Jim Keffer of Eastland signed the pledge
card, he said last week, though he made it clear in an interview
he's interested in more than just party labels when it comes to
speaker qualifications.
"Obviously if you run with a party I feel you have an
obligation and loyalty to that party," he said. "But
if we do take the majority, I have in mind someone in line with
what we have -- it would be a rural person and someone who would
handle that office in a non-partisan way."
Laney, he said, has provided a good example by being non-partisan
and sensitive to rural interests.
"I think Republicans have a good chance of getting the
majority, but Republicans have to be able to govern if we do,"
he said. "The line of demarcation out here in West Texas
is not so much your party affiliation, it's how we're going to
protect our interests versus Houston, Dallas and San Antonio."
Both Hunter and Keffer are seeking re-election next year. Hunter
was one of Laney's earliest supporters when he first ran for speaker,
and Laney was guest at a Hunter appreciation dinner in August.
"The speaker has been so great for Abilene and for Taylor
County and for all the things we've stood for here," Hunter
said. "Our role is not served well by speculating about what
might be.
"The speaker knows full well we're going to work as hard
as we can to get as many Republicans elected as we can,"
Hunter added, "and he knows our state is rapidly changing
in that regard."
Laney's office told the Associated Press, "a healthy number
of Democrats and Republicans are supporting his re-election as
speaker."
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Copyright ©1997,
Abilene Reporter-News / Texnews / E.W. Scripps Publications
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