John Smithee running for Texas Speaker of the House

State Rep. John Smithee (R-Amarillo) is officially in the race for Texas House speaker.

Smithee filed his declaration of candidacy with the Texas Ethics Commission on Friday evening and is now the fifth challenger in the race against Speaker Dade Phelan (R-Beaumont).

The longtime incumbent has been in the Texas Legislature since 1985 and has flirted with runs for speaker before, but never officially jumped in. He currently sits on the State Affairs and Juvenile Justice & Family Issues Committees.

Smithee represents Armstrong, Dallam, Deaf Smith, Hartley, Oldham, Parmer, and Randall counties in the Panhandle. He defeated Jamie Haynes in the 2024 primary for House District 86 by 40 points.

The longtime Amarillo representative gained a larger political profile during the 2023 impeachment proceedings against Attorney General Ken Paxton when he spoke against the recommended articles. Smithee primarily criticized the process of the impeachment — the months-long secret investigation by the General Investigating Committee, and then the expedited vote that occurred a few days after the charges were made public.

Then following Paxton’s acquittal in the Senate, Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick lauded Smithee with praise for the speech and cited it frequently in the months following on radio and television spots.

He’d hinted at a possible run for speaker all summer, including on Lubbock radio host Chad Hasty’s show back in June. But now he’s made it official.

The other four candidates are state Reps. Tom Oliverson (R-Cypress), Shelby Slawson (R-Stephenville), David Cook (R-Mansfield), and James Frank (R-Wichita Falls).