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June 11, 2026      10:18 AM

Kronberg: Speaker Burrows has a difficult tightrope to walk at the Texas GOP convention

With the promise of likely Democratic gains in the next election, Burrows will probably have to promise the GOP delegates he’ll further marginalize those who helped elect him in the first place

Aside from the usual antics and internal backstabbing at any state political party convention, the Republican Party of Texas gathering unfolding now in Houston includes another moment of drama and potential insight for Texas political professionals and addicts.

Speaker Dustin Burrows will address the convention on Friday. Now, it is not a given that statewide officers speak to the party’s most ardent activists. After passing the post-Uvalde gun bill, Sen. John Cornyn was man enough to show up and get booed for 25 of the 30 minutes he was on stage but Gov. Greg Abbott’s last appearance inside the convention hall was in 2018 for fear he’d be blasted as insufficiently “MAGA.”

Burrows speaking is of particular interest considering it is virtually assured that Republicans will lose seats in the Texas House this cycle. The only question is how many.

Conventional wisdom has it that next session we’ll see somewhere around 78 Republicans to 72 Democrats which would radically change how the House can operate. But more about that later.

Democratic Speakers rarely spoke to the convention. They would traditionally appear on stage with the Democratic state representatives for a brief introduction and a round of applause and then blend into the background. The first Republican speaker, Tom Craddick, did speak to the convention. If memory serves, it was a relatively uneventful celebration of the GOP finally gaining the majority in the 2002 elections. Since then, GOP Speakers Joe Straus, Dennis Bonnen, and Dade Phelan either kept a low profile at the convention or did not appear at all.

But there is a great deal more drama surrounding this convention, this upcoming election, and this speaker.

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By Harvey Kronberg

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June 10, 2026      9:54 AM

Abbott asks regulators to require data centers to pay for all electric infrastructure costs

In a letter to leaders at PUC and ERCOT, the Gov also outlined some of his proposals on data centers for next session

Data centers in Texas have been described by at least one Republican leader in the Texas House as a key reason that “rural Texas is on fire politically.” Feeling the heat, legislators have already started to dig into what might be done about it next session.

Meantime, Gov. Greg Abbott on Wednesday asked regulators to “take action to require data centers to pay for all of their electric infrastructure costs to ensure that no residential ratepayer is burdened by those costs.”

From his letter:

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June 9, 2026      4:51 PM

Kronberg argues potential screwworm crisis could give a boost to Rep. Hinojosa in bid for governor

On Texas Capital Tonight, Harvey Kronberg and James Barragan got into that and more on Spectrum News on Monday night.

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June 9, 2026      1:28 PM

Former Rep. Betty Brown passed away

A visitation is scheduled for Monday, June 15, 2026, at 12:30 p.m. at Mullin-Fuller Funeral Home, located at 205 Corky Boyd Ave. Wills Point, with a funeral service to be held immediately following at 1:00 pm. Interment will be held on Tuesday, June 16, 2026, at Texas State Cemetery, located at 909 Navasota Street, Austin, Texas 78702

Her obituary is here. Depending on your browser you may have to right click and open in a new tab.

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June 8, 2026      11:45 AM

TLR to get hostile reception at Republican Party of Texas convention

And for the first time any of us can remember, TTLA is a sponsor at the GOP convention

Despite being one of the banner sponsors, Texans for Lawsuit Reform can look forward to a hostile reception when the Republican Party of Texas convention convenes in Houston this week.

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By Scott Braddock

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June 8, 2026      10:36 AM

Video: Kronberg says this cycle may shock the Texas GOP

"Republicans feel entitled to keeping Texas." After all, they've been in power for nearly 30 years. But could Democrats flip the script? Quorum Report Publisher Harvey Kronberg joined the "On The Ground" podcast with Joe Trippi to talk about the potential Dems have in the midterms

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June 5, 2026      2:11 PM

People on the Move

Power players, trade association news, staffer moves, and more

The summer months are in full swing now with trips to the beach for some of you. For others, it’s anywhere that’s not hot like Colorado or Maine. As for me, I’m looking forward to covering the Republican Party of Texas Convention in Houston next week and the Texas Democratic Party Convention later this month in Corpus Christi. I’ll see lots of you in both places.

Meantime, there are some significant career moves to pass along this week. People on the Move is the most efficient way to let Texas Capitol folks know about your new job or new business. Feel free to send the scoop anytime to ksbraddock@gmail.com and use POTM in the subject line. Please and thank you.

Here’s the latest edition.

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By Scott Braddock

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