Rep. Vicki Truitt, R-Southlake, readily concedes her brief candidacy for speaker of the Texas House of Representatives was "probably the shortest campaign in the history of speaker races."
Truitt told Star-Telegram Austin bureau chief Dave Montgomery that she didn't decide until late Sunday afternoon to enter the race. That was after she heard that House Speaker Tom Craddick was dropping his bid for a fourth term as presiding officer and after she heard that Rep. Joe Straus was announcing he had won pledges from 85 colleagues to back him for speaker -- more than enough votes to assure victory in the 150-member chamber. "I said, 'Wait a minute -- I didn't get to participate in that process,'" Truitt said, referring to the contention of Straus' backers that he has the race locked up before the vote takes place.
She decided not to proceed with her candidacy after a group of 55 Craddick supporters took an informal but unanimous vote to back veteran Rep. John Smithee, R-Amarillo, against the relatively inexperienced Straus. Truitt said she is among those favoring Smithee because "experience matters."
Truitt's short-lived candidacy had the enthusiastic backing of Tom Wilder, Tarrant County District Clerk. "If Vicki Truitt were elected, she would be the first female Speaker of the House in the history of Texas," Wilder told Star-Telegram reporter Max B. Baker. "Many of us locally stand behind Vicki in this effort."
-- John Gravois
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