Popular Texas grassroots conservative State Senator Konni Burton (R-Colleyville) penned an open letter to the Texas Republican Delegation in the U.S. House this past Thursday, urging them them to lead the nation and support new leaders who will act boldly and embrace foundational conservative principles.
Burton’s letter followed the resignation announcement by House Speaker John Boehner. She prefaced the letter with a statement. “With the U.S. House leadership elections set for October 8th, the time for conservative leaders to speak up is now,” she said. “It is my hope that as Texas leads the nation in many critical ways, our Republican congressional delegation will lead within their chamber by articulating the reasons for fearless conservative leadership heading into the presidential election of 2016.”
In the body of the letter, Burton expressed her surprise “like the rest of the nation” to learn of Boehner’s “imminent resignation from Congress,” impacted by factors including the “stunning grassroots defeat of Majority Leader Eric Cantor” and “prolonged leadership turmoil.”
She then wrote:
“Millions of voters in Texas and across the nation have been in a state of ‘prolonged turmoil’ since the election of President Obama in 2008. As evidence of the strong displeasure with the direction the President has taken the country, voters have elected a strong Republican majority in the United States House of Representatives and the United States Senate during the midterm elections of both of his terms. Unfortunately, to their chagrin, little has changed after these sweeping electoral victories.
The grassroots—of which I include myself—are extremely frustrated at the lack of action on any number of conservative public policy priorities in D.C. The voters did not elect conservative Republicans in 2010 and 2014 to stand by idly as their leaders engaged in the politics of surrender. Speaker Boehner’s resignation is a direct result of the very same grassroots wave that swept him into power. You and your fellow Congressional Republicans now have an incredible opportunity to select a presiding officer who is committed to doing the work for which the American people are hungry. You must give voters confidence that conservatives are prepared to lead and to illustrate what the Republican party truly stands for in the short time before the next presidential election. Now is the time to select a Speaker of the House who is willing to challenge the failed and dangerous policies of the President and who is unafraid to embrace foundational conservative principles.
I believe it is only fitting the Texas Republican Delegation should lead during this crucial time. I fight everyday as a member of the Texas Senate to honor the trust of the voters who placed me there. I implore you to use this opportunity to honor that same trust and elevate a bold person of action to the speakership who will lead us to victory in 2016 and beyond.”
The second page lists the state’s 25 Republican Congress members who received the letter headed up by solid conservative Rep. Louie Gohmert, but also includes conservatively-challenged GOP House reps among its recipients.
Upon Boehner’s resignation, Breitbart Texas spoke with grassroots leaders around the state who voiced cautious optimism over the news. Ken Emanuelson with the Texas Grassroots Network noted his concern over the U.S. House replacing Boehner with “Boehner with a different name.”
Burton won Tarrant County state Senate District 10 (SD 10) for the Tea Party, a seat formally occupied by Democrat Wendy Davis, who ditched her constituency for a gubernatorial bid. However, Davis’ progressive party line politics fizzled in a crushing 20-point defeat to the state’s top lawyer, Attorney General Greg Abbott, a Republican. Burton beat her Davis-backed liberal opponent Libby Willis.
Sen. Ted Cruz (R-TX) endorsed Burton at the beginning of her candidacy. Last month, Burton hosted the first of Cruz’s three home state #CruzCountry presidential campaign stops. Burton was an early supporter of Cruz in his bid for the U.S. Senate.
Follow Merrill Hope on Twitter @OutOfTheBoxMom.
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