Rep. Senfronia Thompson makes her bid for Speaker

Following two decades of Republican control, Democrats won their first Texas House majority since 2003 leaving them with the responsibility of electing a new speaker. Rep. Senfronia Thompson, a Democrat from Houston widely referred to as “Ms. T”, announced on Nov. 6 that a majority of House members have pledged their support for her to become the next Speaker of the House. The official vote will come when the new legislature convenes on Jan. 12. If she wins, she will become the first female speaker in Texas history, as well as the first Black one.   

Before her transition to law and politics, Rep. Thompson was an educator. She earned her Master’s in Education from Prairie View A&M and taught junior high and high school as well as special education students. She was elected to the state House in 1972 which makes her the longest-serving woman and Black legislator in any state legislature.  

Now 87, Thompson is known at the Capitol as “the dean” of the House. Colleagues from both parties gave her that title and a handful of Republicans stood with her at her speaker candidacy announcement. Throughout her career she has become well known for championing the underdog, fighting to raise minimum wage, protecting LGBTQ+ Texans, and expanding support for sexual assault survivors.  

As a former teacher, Rep. Thompson has also been a longtime fighter and advocate for public education. She was outspoken in the fight against school vouchers, making her candidacy a possible win for educators and the bills that matter to them. 

The speaker holds the keys to the House, tasked with appointing committee chairs and referring every bill to a committee. These powers extend to the most influential House committees, including Appropriations, which is responsible for the state budget and Calendars, which decides what bills reach the floor for a vote. With that power, Thompson’s leadership could mean transformation for how the Texas House prioritizes hearings and bills.  

This would be a sharp break from the current house system. Under the leadership of outgoing speaker Dustin Burrows, Republicans established a stronghold on the House, banning Democrats from chairing committees. Thompson says she won’t follow in these footsteps, promising the House won’t be a “dictatorship” under her watch and confirming she will appoint chairs from both parties. 

Despite these changes in the House, Republicans still control the Senate. Any bill that passes the House must still clear a chamber that may not share its priorities. Even so, a Thompson speakership would mark a historic shift in who runs the House and who it works for.