Rep. Vicki Truitt rumored to have entered race for Speaker of the House

by Vince Leibowitz of of Capitol Annex

Following House Speaker Tom Craddick’s decision not to seek a fourth term as Speaker, ultra-conservative Republican Vicki Truitt (Southlake) has evidently entered the race to replace him.

The Fort Worth Star-Telegram has the report:

The speaker’s race already has been a free-for-all for months, but it opened wider than ever tonight as word spread about Craddick’s decision. Rep. Vicki Truitt, R-Southlake, has joined the race, Tarrant County District Clerk Tom Wilder said.

“If Vicki Truitt were elected, she would the first female Speaker of the House in the history of Texas,” Wilder said. “Many of us locally stand behind Vicki in this effort.”

Truitt is currently serving her fifth term and is the current chairwoman of the Committee on Pensions and Investments, and she is a member of the House Committee on Public Health.

"A lot of Republican voters will like Vick’s strong conservative record, and she has quite a bit more experience than Rep. Straus on important committees,” Wilder said.

While Truitt might be more palatable to right-wing and conservative Republicans, you can bet that few Democrats will side with the Texas House’s version of Sarah Palin.

Truitt, as you will recall, introduced the moronic “Blogger Libel Bill” last session which was pulled after outcry from the online community and an onslaught of negative press coverage.