Despite the departures of two seasoned members, the delegation of lawmakers that Tarrant County will dispatch to the state capitol Tuesday is heavily composed of returning veterans who have played key roles in major issues confronting Texas in recent years.
Mirroring the Legislature as a whole, Republicans dominate Tarrant County’s delegation in each chamber. Among the 11 Tarrant County House members, seven are Republicans and four are Democrats. Of the five state senators who represent parts of Tarrant County, only one, Royce West of Dallas, is a Democrat. The rest are Republicans with nearly 80 years of combined experience in the Legislature.
For one Tarrant House member, Republican Rep. David Cook of Mansfield, opening day will determine if he succeeds in his monthslong quest to become the next speaker of the Republican-led, 150-member chamber. Most political odds-makers were assessing the former Mansfield mayor’s race against fellow Republican Rep. Dustin Burrows of Lubbock as too close to call…