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Dade Phelan
2015 - Present
2027
10
Dade Phelan (Republican Party) is a member of the Texas House of Representatives, representing District 21. He assumed office in 2015. His current term ends on January 12, 2027.
Phelan (Republican Party) ran for re-election to the Texas House of Representatives to represent District 21. He won in the general election on November 5, 2024.
Dade Phelan was elected as speaker of the House on January 12, 2021.[1] He served until January 14, 2025.[2]
Phelan was born and raised in Beaumont, Texas. He graduated from the University of Texas at Austin in 1998 with a bachelor's degree in government.[3][4] While in college, Phelan worked as an aide to state Rep. Mark Stiles (D). After graduating, Phelan moved to Washington D.C., where he worked for House Majority Leader Rep. Dick Armey (R).[5] Phelan returned to Texas in 2001 and worked as an aide for state Sen. Tommy Williams (R) until 2006.[5][6]
Phelan entered politics in 2014, when he won election to represent District 21 in the Texas House of Representatives. At the time, Phelan was serving as president of the Lower Neches Valley Authority Board of Directors, a position to which Gov. Rick Perry (R) had appointed him.[7] Phelan defeated Democrat Gavin Bruney 74-26% in the 2014 general election. Phelan ran unopposed in both the primaries and general elections in 2016, 2018, 2020, and 2022.
In January 2021, the Texas House of Representatives voted 143-2 to elect Phelan as House speaker.Cite error: Invalid <ref> tag; name cannot be a simple integer. Use a descriptive title Two Republican members opposed Phelan, while all House Democrats voted for him. State Rep. Nicole Collier (D) said that Phelan "wants to bring us together, not divide us."Cite error: Invalid <ref> tag; name cannot be a simple integer. Use a descriptive title The Texas Tribune's Zach Despart wrote, "In the first session he presided over, he and his leadership team shepherded the passage of conservative priorities that had previously been viewed as a bridge too far for many Republicans, including a near-total ban on abortion and permitless carry of handguns. Abbott touted it as the most conservative legislative session in recent memory."[8]
Phelan was re-elected as House speaker in 2023, defeating state Rep. Tony Tinderholt (R) 145-3. Tinderholt said Phelan was too accommodating of Democrats, citing his willingness to appoint Democrats to oversee House committees.[9]
In February 2024, the Texas Republican Party voted to censure Phelan, citing his support for impeaching Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton (R) and what they described as his unwillingness to publicly support private school choice legislation. Phelan was the fourth elected official to be censured by the Texas Republican Party.[10] In 2023, Phelan oversaw the impeachment of Paxton on charges of bribery, misappropriation of public resources, and other allegations. The House voted 121-23 to impeach Paxton, while the Senate voted to acquit him on all charges.[11] That same year, Phelan was also the only House member during a special session to vote "present" on an amendment that would have created a private school choice program.[12]
Phelan faced challengers David Covey and Alicia Davis in the 2024 primaries.[13] Donald Trump (R), Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton (R), and Texas Lieutenant Governor Dan Patrick (R) endorsed Covey.[14][15][16] In the primary, Covey received 46% of the vote to Phelan's 43%, but because neither won a majority, the two advanced to a primary runoff election. Phelan defeated Covey 51%-49% in the runoff, and was unopposed in the general.[17]
On December 6, 2024, Phelan announced he would not seek a third term as speaker, saying, "Though the battle for my speakership is over, the war for the integrity of this chamber wages on — and we will win."[18]
On August 21, 2025, Phelan announced he would not seek re-election to the Texas House of Representatives District 21 in 2026.[19]
Committee assignments
Note: This membership information was last updated in September 2023. Ballotpedia completes biannual updates of committee membership. If you would like to send us an update, email us at: editor@ballotpedia.org.
2019-2020
Phelan was assigned to the following committees:
2017 legislative session
At the beginning of the 2017 legislative session, this legislator served on the following committees:
| Texas committee assignments, 2017 |
|---|
| • Appropriations |
| • Calendars |
| • Natural Resources, Vice chair |
2015 legislative session
At the beginning of the 2015 legislative session, Phelan served on the following committees:
| Texas committee assignments, 2015 |
|---|
| • Appropriations |
| • Elections |
Sponsored legislation
The following table lists bills this person sponsored as a legislator, according to BillTrack50 and sorted by action history. Bills are sorted by the date of their last action. The following list may not be comprehensive. To see all bills this legislator sponsored, click on the legislator's name in the title of the table.
Elections
2026
Dade Phelan did not file to run for re-election.
2024
See also: Texas House of Representatives elections, 2024
General election
General election for Texas House of Representatives District 21
Incumbent Dade Phelan won election in the general election for Texas House of Representatives District 21 on November 5, 2024.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ |  | Dade Phelan (R) | 100.0 | 66,398 |
| Total votes: 66,398 | |||
 = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
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Republican primary runoff election
Republican primary runoff for Texas House of Representatives District 21
Incumbent Dade Phelan defeated David Covey in the Republican primary runoff for Texas House of Representatives District 21 on May 28, 2024.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | | Dade Phelan | 50.8 | 12,846 |
 | David Covey | 49.2 | 12,457 | |
| Total votes: 25,303 | |||
| = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
| If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey. | ||||
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team. | ||||
Republican primary election
Republican primary for Texas House of Representatives District 21
David Covey and incumbent Dade Phelan advanced to a runoff. They defeated Alicia Davis in the Republican primary for Texas House of Representatives District 21 on March 5, 2024.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | | David Covey | 46.3 | 15,589 |
| ✔ | | Dade Phelan | 43.3 | 14,574 |
 | Alicia Davis | 10.5 | 3,523 | |
| Total votes: 33,686 | |||
| = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
| If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey. | ||||
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team. | ||||
Withdrawn or disqualified candidates
- Shilo Platts (R)
Campaign finance
Endorsements
Phelan received the following endorsements.
2022
See also: Texas House of Representatives elections, 2022
General election
The general election was canceled. Incumbent Dade Phelan won election in the general election for Texas House of Representatives District 21.
Republican primary election
Republican primary for Texas House of Representatives District 21
Incumbent Dade Phelan advanced from the Republican primary for Texas House of Representatives District 21 on March 1, 2022.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | | Dade Phelan | 100.0 | 20,512 |
| Total votes: 20,512 | |||
| = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
| If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey. | ||||
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team. | ||||
Campaign finance
2020
See also: Texas House of Representatives elections, 2020
General election
General election for Texas House of Representatives District 21
Incumbent Dade Phelan won election in the general election for Texas House of Representatives District 21 on November 3, 2020.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | | Dade Phelan (R) | 100.0 | 65,689 |
| Total votes: 65,689 | |||
| = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
| If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey. | ||||
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team. | ||||
Republican primary election
Republican primary for Texas House of Representatives District 21
Incumbent Dade Phelan advanced from the Republican primary for Texas House of Representatives District 21 on March 3, 2020.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | | Dade Phelan | 100.0 | 20,137 |
| Total votes: 20,137 | |||
| = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
| If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey. | ||||
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team. | ||||
Campaign finance
2018
General election
General election for Texas House of Representatives District 21
Incumbent Dade Phelan won election in the general election for Texas House of Representatives District 21 on November 6, 2018.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | | Dade Phelan (R) | 100.0 | 46,435 |
| Total votes: 46,435 | |||
| = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
| If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey. | ||||
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team. | ||||
Republican primary election
Republican primary for Texas House of Representatives District 21
Incumbent Dade Phelan advanced from the Republican primary for Texas House of Representatives District 21 on March 6, 2018.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | | Dade Phelan | 100.0 | 9,940 |
| Total votes: 9,940 | |||
| = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
| If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey. | ||||
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team. | ||||
2016
Elections for the Texas House of Representatives took place in 2016. The primary election was held on March 1, 2016, and the general election was held on November 8, 2016. The candidate filing deadline was December 14, 2015.[20]
Incumbent Dade Phelan ran unopposed in the Texas House of Representatives District 21 general election.[21]
| Texas House of Representatives, District 21 General Election, 2016 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
| Republican |  Dade Phelan Incumbent (unopposed) |
100.00% | 54,753 | |
| Total Votes | 54,753 | |||
| Source: Texas Secretary of State | ||||
Incumbent Dade Phelan ran unopposed in the Texas House of Representatives District 21 Republican Primary.[22][23]
| Texas House of Representatives, District 21 Republican Primary, 2016 | ||
|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | |
| Republican | Dade Phelan Incumbent (unopposed) | |
2014
Elections for all 150 seats in the Texas House of Representatives took place in 2014. A primary election took place on March 4, 2014. Those candidates who did not receive 50 percent or more of the vote in their party primary on March 4 faced an additional May 27 primary runoff. The general election was held on November 4, 2014. The signature filing deadline for candidates wishing to run in these elections was December 9, 2013. Dade Phelan defeated Judy Nichols in the Republican primary. Gavin Bruney was unopposed in the Democratic primary. Phelan defeated Bruney in the general election.[24][25][26]
| Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | Dade Phelan |
74.4% | 28,283 | |
| Democratic | Gavin Bruney | 25.6% | 9,739 | |
| Total Votes | 38,022 | |||
Campaign themes
2024
Ballotpedia survey responses
See also: Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection
Dade Phelan did not complete Ballotpedia's 2024 Candidate Connection survey.
2022
Dade Phelan did not complete Ballotpedia's 2022 Candidate Connection survey.
2020
Dade Phelan did not complete Ballotpedia's 2020 Candidate Connection survey.
2014
Phelan's website highlighted the following campaign themes:[27]
Create Jobs
- Excerpt: "As state representative, my top priority will be keeping taxes low and cutting job-killing regulation so hard working Texans can keep our state the job-creating capital of America."
Stop Obamacare
- Excerpt: "We have to put an end to Obamacare’s destructive policies so we can grow our economy and ensure the health and safety of all Texans."
Ensure Our Water Supply
- Excerpt: "I am committed to a combined effort of conservation and water infrastructure investments – within the means of the state budget and without new taxes."
Defend The 2nd Amendment
- Excerpt: "As state representative, I will always stand up to any attempt restricting the personal liberties granted to us by God. This means upholding the entire Bill of Rights at all costs – especially the Right to Bear Arms."
Protecting Life
- Excerpt: "Life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness are unalienable rights given to us by our Creator – and the first is life. I am pro-life because my faith has taught me to cherish all life."
Lower Taxes
- Excerpt: "By cutting the franchise tax and making the cuts permanent, we will ensure Texas families have the jobs they need to pursue a brighter future."
Improving Education
- Excerpt: "Improving education in our community is the first step to ensuring that our children will lead our country and our economy to lasting prosperity. To achieve this great goal, I am committed to providing the best education for our students by making certain they have the best teachers, and by empowering parents and schools with more local control and fewer government mandates."
Solve Illegal Immigration
- Excerpt: "We have to take control of our border and hold companies responsible for illegally hiring undocumented workers."
Texas Energy Production
- Excerpt: "We must take a stand against Washington and the EPA’s attempts to stifle progress with federal regulation. We must remove obstacles preventing innovation and the construction of key pipeline projects."
Campaign finance summary
Note: The finance data shown here comes from the disclosures required of candidates and parties. Depending on the election or state, this may represent only a portion of all the funds spent on their behalf. Satellite spending groups may or may not have expended funds related to the candidate or politician on whose page you are reading this disclaimer. Campaign finance data from elections may be incomplete. For elections to federal offices, complete data can be found at the FEC website. Click here for more on federal campaign finance law and here for more on state campaign finance law.
Scorecards
A scorecard evaluates a legislator’s voting record. Its purpose is to inform voters about the legislator’s political positions. Because scorecards have varying purposes and methodologies, each report should be considered on its own merits. For example, an advocacy group’s scorecard may assess a legislator’s voting record on one issue while a state newspaper’s scorecard may evaluate the voting record in its entirety.
Ballotpedia is in the process of developing an encyclopedic list of published scorecards. Some states have a limited number of available scorecards or scorecards produced only by select groups. It is Ballotpedia’s goal to incorporate all available scorecards regardless of ideology or number.
Click here for an overview of legislative scorecards in all 50 states. To contribute to the list of Texas scorecards, email suggestions to editor@ballotpedia.org.
2024
| To view all the scorecards we found for this legislator in 2024, click [show]. |
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In 2024, the Texas State Legislature was not in session. |
2023
| To view all the scorecards we found for this legislator in 2023, click [show]. |
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In 2023, the Texas State Legislature was in session from January 10 to May 29.
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2022
| To view all the scorecards we found for this legislator in 2022, click [show]. |
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In 2022, the Texas State Legislature was not in session. |
2021
| To view all the scorecards we found for this legislator in 2021, click [show]. |
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In 2021, the Texas State Legislature was in session from January 12 to May 31.
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2020
| To view all the scorecards we found for this legislator in 2020, click [show]. |
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In 2020, the Texas State Legislature was not in session. |
2019
| To view all the scorecards we found for this legislator in 2019, click [show]. |
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In 2019, the Texas State Legislature was in its 86th legislative session from January 8 through May 27.
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2018
| To view all the scorecards we found for this legislator in 2018, click [show]. |
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In 2018, the Texas State Legislature did not hold a regular session. |
2017
| To view all the scorecards we found for this legislator in 2017, click [show]. |
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In 2017, the Texas State Legislature was in its 85th legislative session from January 10 through May 29. A special session was held from July 18 to August 15.
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2016
| To view all the scorecards we found for this legislator in 2016, click [show]. |
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In 2016, the Texas State Legislature did not hold a regular session. |
2015
| To view all the scorecards we found for this legislator in 2015, click [show]. |
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In 2015, the Texas State Legislature was in its 84th legislative session from January 13 through June 1.
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See also
2024 Elections
External links
|
Candidate Texas House of Representatives District 21 |
Officeholder Texas House of Representatives District 21 |
Personal |
Footnotes
- ↑ The Texas Tribune, "Texas House elects Dade Phelan speaker as 2021 legislative session gets underway," January 12, 2021
- ↑ The Texas Tribune, "Rep. Dustin Burrows voted Texas House speaker in blow to insurgent GOP movement" January 14, 2025
- ↑ LegiStorm, "Texas State Rep. Dade Phelan," accessed June 19, 2025
- ↑ Texas State Directory, "Rep. Dade Phelan (R)," accessed June 19, 2025
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 The Texas Tribune, "In Dade Phelan's bid for Texas House speaker, trust was key," November 24, 2020
- ↑ LinkedIn, "Dade Phelan," accessed June 19, 2025
- ↑ Beaumont Enterprise, "Phelan wins District 21 seat," November 4, 2014
- ↑ The Texas Tribune, "House Speaker Dade Phelan, enemy of the far-right, faces toughest reelection yet," February 5, 2024
- ↑ The Texas Tribune, "Texas House selects Rep. Dade Phelan as speaker for another legislative session," January 10, 2023
- ↑ Texas GOP, "Republican Party of Texas Censures Speaker Dade Phelan," February 10, 2024
- ↑ [ https://www.texastribune.org/2023/09/16/ken-paxton-impeachment-vote/ The Texas Tribune, "Ken Paxton was acquitted. See how each Senator voted.," September 16, 2024]
- ↑ The Texas Tribune, "Texas House cuts school vouchers out of the education bill. See how lawmakers voted on the measure.," November 17, 2023
- ↑ Houston Chronicle, "Trump and wealthy Texas Republicans want to oust House Speaker Phelan. David Covey is their man," April 5, 2024
- ↑ NBC News, "Texas House speaker who oversaw state AG Ken Paxton’s impeachment fends off Trump-backed GOP challenger," May 28, 2024
- ↑ Beaumont Enterprise, "Texas Attorney General endorses challenger to Speaker Phelan," January 15, 2024
- ↑ Dan Patrick Texas Lieutenant Governor, "I'm supporting David Covey for Texas HD 21," accessed June 19, 2025
- ↑ The Texas Tribune, "House Speaker Dade Phelan wins runoff, surviving challenge by Texas GOP’s far-right forces," May 28, 2024
- ↑ Governing, "Dade Phelan Bows Out as Texas House Speaker," December 6, 2024
- ↑ “12 News Now (Beaumont, Texas),” “Beaumont anesthesiologist files for Texas House District 21 seat as Phelan exits,” August 22, 2025
- ↑ Texas Secretary of State, "Important 2016 Election Dates," accessed December 14, 2015
- ↑ Texas Secretary of State, "2016 General Election," accessed December 2, 2016
- ↑ Texas Secretary of State, "2016 March Primary Election Candidate Filings by County," accessed August 22, 2016
- ↑ Texas Secretary of State, "1992 - Current Election History results," accessed August 22, 2016
- ↑ Texas Secretary of State, "1992 - Current ELECTION HISTORY," accessed December 2, 2014
- ↑ The Libertarian Party of Texas, "2014 Texas Representative Candidate List," accessed July 30, 2014
- ↑ Green Party of Texas, "Greens Release Candidate List," accessed July 30, 2014
- ↑ Texans for Dade, "Issues," accessed February 19, 2014
| Political offices | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by - |
Texas House of Representatives District 21 2015-Present |
Succeeded by - |
