Speaker Craddick: Soon to just be Rep. Tom Craddick, R-Midland, again

The impossible seems to have come true: Speaker Tom Craddick will be speaker no more.

Lieutenants for the Midland Republican, including Reps. Will Hartnett, R-Dallas, and Sid Miller, R-Stephenville, are telling the press that he’s withdrawing from the race, and it seems that the right wing of the party will get behind Rep. John Smithee, R-Amarillo. There is no formal confirmation from Craddick as of yet, and no solid word on whether Rep. Dan Gattis, R-Georgetown, will stand aside, but with Straus on 85 pledged votes, Smithee will have to make a convincing argument to take the gavel.

Of course, it seems strange that the battle for the speaker’s chair is coming down to two Republican candidates who weren’t more than rumors a week ago. It seems even stranger that Craddick, who was talked about like an unbeatable leviathan, is now gone. Exactly where he goes seems like the next big mystery, but a major committee appointment seems almost inevitable.

This article appears in 2008.

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The Chronicle's first Culture Desk editor, Richard has reported on Austin's growing film production and appreciation scene for over a decade. A graduate of the universities of York, Stirling, and UT-Austin, a Rotten Tomatoes certified critic, and eight-time Best of Austin winner, he's currently at work on two books and a play.