Martinez Fischer will lead Democratic House caucus
State Rep. Trey Martinez Fischer is the newest chair of the Texas House Democratic Caucus, which means he’ll take the lead on legislative strategy, messaging and fundraising for at least the next two years.
The San Antonio representative secured the position during a closed-door caucus meeting Wednesday in Austin. He defeated Rep. Gina Hinojosa of Austin, after a third candidate, Rep. John Bucy of Austin, withdrew before voting began. Bucy endorsed Hinojosa.
Martinez Fischer replaces Rep. Chris Turner of Grand Prairie, who has led the caucus since 2017 and did not seek re-election.
The election of Martinez Fischer could signal a more confrontational posture for the caucus. He is known as a fighter on the House floor who is wellversed in the rules, one of the few tools the minority has to make an impact. He unsuccessfully challenged Turner for the chairmanship during the 2021 session.
Martinez Fischer represents the San Antoniobased House District 116. He held the seat from 200117 before reclaiming it in 2018 after an unsuccessful campaign for state Senate.
Democrats are again in
the minority as they enter the next legislative session, which begins Jan. 10. They control 64 seats, while Republicans hold 86 — a similar balance to the one last session.
The House Democratic caucus captured the national spotlight last year when most of its members broke quorum — absconding to Washington, D.C. — in protest of Republicans’ priority elections bill, which they described as a voter suppression measure that disproportionately affected people of color. They ultimately splintered on how to keep up their protest, and enough Democrats returned to the floor to allow passage of the bill. Intraparty tensions have lingered from that episode as the next session approaches.
The Mexican American
Legislative Caucus also elected new leadership, picking Rep. Victoria Neave Criado of Dallas as its chair. Another Dallas representative, Rafael Anchia, did not seek re-election as chair.