Phelan had previously stated he had enough votes to hold off a challenge from the right-wing of the party led by state Rep. David Cook, who was formerly allied with Phelan. On Friday, however, he dropped his bid to remain speaker.

“Out of deep respect for this institution and its members, and after careful consideration and private consultation with colleagues, I have made the difficult decision to withdraw from the race for Speaker of the Texas House,” he said in a statement. 

“By stepping aside, I believe we create the best opportunity for our members to rally around a new candidate who will uphold the principles that make our House one of the most exceptional, deliberative legislative bodies in the country — a place where honor, integrity, and the right of every member to vote their district takes utmost precedent,” Phelan continued.

Phelan has been the house speaker in Texas for nearly four years, starting his term in January 2021. Republican State Rep. Dustin Burrows, and top ally of Phelan, has filed paperwork to run for speaker, according to the Texas Tribune.

Phelan’s troubles started after Attorney General Ken Paxton survived his impeachment in the state Senate, which was seen as a major rebuke of Phelan, who supported the impeachment effort. Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick has also frequently sparred with Phelan.

While he has maintained a conservative agenda in his time as speaker, such as an abortion ban and permitless open carry, his GOP critics have been upset with a number of hard-line measures that did not advance out of the Texas House, including school vouchers, which has been made a priority by Gov. Greg Abbott (R-TX), expanding state control of elections in Democrat-run counties, and various laws aimed at infusing more Christianity into public life.

Phelan held off an unsuccessful primary challenge as hard-line conservatives tried to oust him from his elected position. Following that, Phelan insisted he would hold on to the leadership role, telling supporters, “I will be your state rep. for HD 21, and I will be your speaker for the Texas House in 2025.”

Until the announcement Friday, he was looking to Texas House Democrats and uncommitted Republicans to secure a third term as speaker. After Phelan announced his withdrawal, the Texas House Democratic caucus issued a statement saying that “any Speaker candidate interested in serving the House, the Democratic caucus is available to listen, and hear their plans to finally give Texans a legislative session that puts people over politics.”

Burrow’s path to leadership relies on getting the support of 62 Democrats and roughly 40 Republicans who have not pledged to a candidate. His candidacy has already received pushback from Cook and other GOP activists, who are focused on electing a speaker without the support of Democrats. 

Under the Republican caucus rules, whichever candidate receives 60% or more of the votes at their meeting this weekend will secure the group’s endorsement, in turn receiving from all 88 Republican members when the speaker vote goes to the full House in January. The overall race winner will need 76 votes from the 150 members to secure the position.