Thompson says she has the votes to become first woman and first Black Texas House speaker

Thompson, the longest-serving woman and longest-serving Black legislator in any state, did not release a list of supporters or say how many members back her, noting only that she has enough to hit the 76 votes needed to control the 150-member House. "The bottom line is, the majority of the House has pledged to me," she said at a news conference at the Capitol, flanked by a crowd of legislators that included a handful of Republicans.

Her bid comes after Texas Democrats routed Republicans in Tuesday's midterms, sweeping every statewide seat on the ballot and winning their first majority in the House since 2003. Democrats were poised to control more than 80 seats, with some races not yet officially called because they were decided by razor-thin margins. The power shift all but ensures that Republican Speaker Dustin Burrows of Lubbock will lose the gavel after a term that brought a new school voucher system, further restrictions on LGBTQ+ rights and a rare mid-decade gerrymander of Texas' congressional map, which backfired this week.

Thompson said the House would not be a "dictatorship" under her watch and promised to appoint members of both parties to chair committees, resuming a tradition of bipartisan panel leadership scrapped by the Burrows-led House. "I'm not here to punish anybody. I did that when I was a parent," she said. "But I have my own ideas, and I expect members to represent their districts, to work hard and to deliver to the people things that we promised we were going to do." Doing that, she said, would take "the expertise of Republicans and the expertise of Democrats, working as a unit," and the chamber would no longer engage in "bickering and fighting about little wee wee things that have no place within our legislative process."

At least three Republican lawmakers attended the news conference: state Reps. Drew Darby of San Angelo, Charlie Geren of Fort Worth and Todd Hunter of Corpus Christi, all veteran House members who chair committees and belong to the chamber's moderate GOP wing. If her coalition stays intact through January, Thompson would become the first Democrat to control the gavel since Pete Laney of Hale Center, whose decade-long run ended when Republicans took over in 2003. Her elevation would also make for a historic trio at the top of Texas government, alongside Gov.-elect Gina Hinojosa and Lt. Gov.-elect Vikki Goodwin: Texas' "Big Three" has never before been all women.

First elected in 1972, Thompson is affectionately known as "Ms. T," and the next session will be her 28th. She launched her run for the gavel around midnight on election night, with a news release accompanied by a list of 10 Democratic House members, including four Houston colleagues. State Rep. Yvonne Davis of Dallas said in a statement appended to Thompson's candidacy announcement: "Dean Thompson's leadership provides Texas and Texans an opportunity to realize the benefit of leadership focused on policy vs. politics. Her understanding and commitment to governing for all vs. a political agenda to exclude some will make a difference for all Texans. The message from this election is clear. Texans want their government to work for them."