I caught this interesting bit of process story from the Statesman's report on the meeting of the 11 Republicans who selected Rep. Straus as their nominee for speaker.
House members had been anticipating Friday's meeting of the 11 ABC Republicans to give direction to the speaker's race.
Ten of the lawmakers met at the Tarrytown home of Rep. Byron Cook of Corsicana, for more than two hours.
Rep. Rob Eissler of The Woodlands was on the phone and a webcam. Reps. Burt Solomons of Carrollton and Ed Kuempel of Seguin were thought to be front-runners, but after three ballots, the less-experienced Straus won the support of his colleagues.
Except for Eissler and Rep. Delwin Jones of Lubbock , who left early, the group emerged together to announce their choice. They all emphasized Straus' GOP credentials and his ability to unify the House.
