Affectionately referred to as “Ms. T” within the halls of the Texas Capitol, state Representative Senfronia Thompson, D-Houston, is poised to make history as the first woman and African American to serve as Speaker of the Texas House.
At a news conference held Friday afternoon, Thompson announced that she has secured sufficient support from her fellow House members to be elected to the position, following the Democrats’ successful effort to flip the House and assume control from Republicans beginning in January.
“I’m not only grateful, but I’m very honored to have been selected to lead the next session of the legislature, which will be the 90th session,” Thompson said. “And I know that with the colleagues that are being sent to the legislature, both Democrats and Republicans working together, we can make a difference in the state of Texas and the lives of the people that we represent.”
At 87 years of age and widely regarded as the dean of the House, Thompson holds the distinction of being the longest-serving woman and African American in the state’s legislative history, with over five decades of public service to her name.
During the news conference held at the Capitol, Thompson was joined by a number of fellow lawmakers, including several representatives from the Dallas-Fort Worth area, all of whom have pledged their support for her campaign to succeed Republican Dustin Burrows in the role.
Thompson emphasized the fundamental responsibility of House members to faithfully represent the constituents of their respective districts.
“We want to make sure that this legislature doesn’t forget who brought us to the dance,” Thompson said. “We want to make sure we dance on those issues that are going to be important and impactful for them. Education, health care. You name it. There are just so many issues, and we are willing, and we’re rolling up our sleeves, and we are ready to go. We’re ready to fight.”
Should Thompson be elected Speaker by House members on the opening day of the next legislative session, Tuesday, January 12th, the three highest-ranking elected officials at the Texas Capitol would all be Democratic women. They would be joined by Governor-elect Gina Hinojosa, who is set to become the state’s third female governor and its first Latina to hold the office, as well as Lieutenant Governor-elect Vikki Goodwin, who will become the first woman to serve in that capacity.
During the midterm election, Democrats successfully flipped 21 House seats. Come January, the State House will be composed of 83 Democrats and 67 Republicans, a significant shift from the current composition of 88 Republicans and 62 Democrats across the chamber’s 150 districts.
Regarding the Texas Senate, despite Goodwin’s ascension to the position of Lieutenant Governor, Republicans will maintain their majority, holding 18 seats compared to 13 held by Democrats in January. This represents a slight change from the current session’s composition of 19 Republicans and 12 Democrats across the Senate’s 31 districts.
