Trey Martinez Fischer becomes second Democrat to announce run for speaker of the Texas House

State Rep. Trey Martinez Fischer, D-San Antonio, is the second Democrat to announce a bid for speaker of the Texas House. Credit: Miguel Gutierrez Jr. / The Texas Tribune

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State Rep. Trey Martinez Fischer on Monday announced he is running for Texas House speaker, becoming the second Democrat in the lower chamber to launch a bid for the gavel.

Martinez Fischer, from San Antonio, joins state Rep. Senfronia Thompson, the longest-serving woman and Black person in the history of the Texas Legislature, in the race. Both filings come ahead of a November election in which Democrats are within striking distance of winning control of the Republican-held House for the first time in nearly two decades. No Republicans have filed paperwork yet with the Texas Ethics Commission to run for the job, which Republican House Speaker Dennis Bonnen will vacate at the end of his term when he retires from office.

In a statement, Martinez Fischer said the “number one job of the Speaker is to protect the House and its members.”

“Members know that I have been a defender of the House rules and wielded them to protect the institution and the people we serve,” Martinez Fischer said. “My vision for the Texas House is an independent body that will work respectfully in a bi-partisan manner with the best minds at the table. That is not negotiable.”