Republican Party of Texas Chairman James Dickey issued the following statement on the announcement by Speaker Joe Straus that he will not seek re-election:

“With the announcement from Speaker Joe Straus that he will not seek re-election in 2018, I want to thank him for his years of service as Speaker and wish him and his family the best.

“As the Texas House of Representatives begins to consider the election of a new Speaker, we remind them of our platform plank #70 and urge the House Republican Caucus to follow the will of the Convention delegates:

We oppose the use of pledge cards and call for the Republican members to caucus after each November general election to determine by secure secret ballot, their candidate for Speaker. We also call for the Republican members to vote as a unified body for their selected speaker candidate when the legislature convenes in regular session.