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October 5, 2015      5:00 PM

SB: Cruz ally Sen. Konni Burton trying to influence Speakers races in DC and potentially Texas as well

Sen. Burton is doubling down on being as isolated in the Texas Senate as Cruz is in the US Senate, which is what the Tea Party seems to prefer

As Sen. Ted Cruz continues to rail against the “Washington Cartel” – most pointedly criticizing the top members of his own party on Capitol Hill – it appears to some that one of his top allies back home is once again working to destabilize the Texas House.

Over the weekend some Republicans pointed out to us at Buzz Central that the second challenger to announce against Speaker Joe Straus in his Bexar County district is the mother of a staffer of Sen. Konni Burton, R-Colleyville. Burton's District Director Cathy Bean Scott wrote on social media, "my mom (Sheila Bean) announced yesterday that she is running for State Representative in San Antonio!"

Sen. Burton’s spokesman and consultant Luke Macias told Quorum Report that his client did not have anything to do with recruiting Bean to run for the seat. At this point, Macias is unaware of any plans Burton may have to get involved in the race. But if Burton were to endorse Bean, it would be far from the first time she’s actively worked against Speaker Straus.

Burton is of course a big beneficiary of the support of Tim Dunn’s Empower Texans and, back in January, she spoke at a rally for retiring Rep. Scott Turner, R-Frisco, as he was in the midst of a failed bid for Speaker.

Representing the Fort Worth area, Burton has arguably spent more time inserting herself into matters involving districts other than her own and legislative chambers other than the Texas Senate. Sen. Burton certainly has a right to pursue these endeavors and she seems to be resonating with the Tea Party base of the GOP. So, it is of particular interest to watch her strategy unfold.

By Scott Braddock