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State Rep. David Cook, R-Mansfield, addresses Texas Commission on Environmental Quality staff during a Dec. 11, 2023, public meeting at Mansfield’s Anchora Event Center. Cook opposed a concrete batch plant permit, citing its negative impact on health and quality of life for Rendon residents. (Emily Wolf | Fort Worth Report)
” data-medium-file=”https://fortworthreport.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/12/IMG_2087-scaled.jpg?fit=300%2C200&ssl=1″ data-large-file=”https://fortworthreport.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/12/IMG_2087-scaled.jpg?fit=780%2C520&ssl=1″ tabindex=”0″ role=”button”>AUSTIN — After two legislative sessions as a representative from Mansfield, Republican lawmaker David Cook is now in pursuit of the top job in the Texas House of Representatives as one of three challengers seeking to oust incumbent Speaker Dade Phelan.The 53-year-old former Mansfield mayor declared his candidacy in a statement to colleagues in the Republican-led House, asserting that the chamber under Phelan has become an arena for “political infighting, breakdowns in communication and a lack of transparency.” Phelan, who overcame a vigorous reelection challenge for his Beaumont-based House seat in the May Republican runoff, is seeking to return to the speakership he has held since January 2021. But he remains entangled in inner-party warfare in his bid to continue running the House, as Cook joins fellow Republican House members Tom Oliverson of Cypress and Shelby Slawson of Stephenville in a four-person speaker race. Republicans, who have led the Texas House of Representatives since 2003, hold an 86-64 majority over Democrats during the current session and are certain to retain power after the November election, although the numbers may change slightly. As the dominant party in the House, Republicans will again choose one of their own as speaker when members vote on the leadership position during the next legislative session in January 2025, although Democrats currently hold enough seats to potentially influence the outcome.In outlining his goals for the speakership, Cook vowed a hands-on leadership in the “daily workings of our chamber” and vowed that Democrats will no longer serve as committee chairs, though their legislative goals will be treated fairly in the Republican-led chamber. During the 2023 session, Phelan blocked an effort by a small group of conservative Republicans to end a long-standing tradition of allowing members of the Democratic minority party to also chair committees alongside Republicans. The issue figured into a previous Republican challenge against Phelan, when Arlington Rep. Tony Tinderholt ran for speaker in January 2023. He drew only three votes against Phelan’s 145.“It’s time to ensure that leadership better reflects the will of the majority party,” Cook said in announcing his challenge. “This includes a shift to a Republican committee chair model. However, Democratic members will still have the opportunity to work their bills and see them considered fairly, as preserving the rights of the minority party remains part of facilitating the orderly transaction of business in the Texas House.”  Cook has not been considered part of the conservative cadre that has been stridently critical of Phelan’s speakership, especially in the wake of impeachment proceedings against Attorney General Ken Paxton. Cook voted in favor of Paxton’s impeachment, later stating he would have voted against moving forward with three of the 20 articles, according to the Texas Tribune. In his letter to representatives, Cook made it clear that he was dissatisfied with the current state of affairs under Phelan. Lack of communication between leadership and the caucus has stifled progress and caused frustration among members, he said. “If we are not careful, we’re on our way to turning into Washington, D.C.,” he said. “The current state of the Republican caucus is of grave concern. Internal strife threatens to weaken our leadership and distract us from the work we were elected to do.” Cook had the most bills signed by Gov. Greg Abbott of any Tarrant County lawmaker during the 2023 legislative session, including co-sponsored and joint-authored legislation, according to a Fort Worth Report analysis. How Cook’s candidacy plays among his colleagues in the Tarrant County legislative delegation, divided among seven Republicans and four Democrats, is still to be determined, although at least one prominent member is clearly not on board. “I am on Speaker Phelan’s team,” said Republican Rep. Charlie Geren of Fort Worth, a key member of the current leadership who otherwise said he has no comment on Cook’s announcement.Phelan has generally stayed silent over the emergence of challengers, although he has firmly committed himself to seeking a return to the leadership. Immediately after his victory against Orange County Republican Party Chairman David Covey in the runoff race for his legislative seat, Phelan told supporters: “I will be your state rep for HD21, and I will be your speaker for the Texas House in 2025.”The speaker’s race isn’t expected to reach full-bore intensity until after the November election, when the precise roster of the 150-member house becomes clear.  “I highly doubt that we even know the names of everybody who plans to run yet,” said Rep. Brian Harrison, a Midlothian Republican. “I think there could be several more candidates who get in.”Who is David Cook?

Cook, an attorney with the Harris Cook law firm, served as the mayor of Mansfield from 2008 until 2020 when he was elected to represent Texas House District 26, which encompasses parts of seven Tarrant County cities, including Mansfield, Arlington, Burleson, Crowley and Fort Worth. He succeeded state Rep. Bill Zedler, an Arlington Republican, who chose to retire instead of seeking re-election.

Sworn in to his first term in January 2021, Cook has served as vice chairman of the House Criminal Jurisprudence Committee as well as a member of the House Calendars and Juvenile Justice & Family Issues Committee. 

Cook had the most bills signed by Gov. Greg Abbott of any Tarrant County lawmaker during the 2023 legislative session, including co-sponsored and joint-authored legislation, according to a Fort Worth Report analysis. One of Cook’s biggest legislative initiatives was a measure to prosecute locally elected prosecutors who do not enforce certain laws.Dave Montgomery is a freelance reporter for the Fort Worth Report.