Dan Patrick Urges Senate Republicans to Curb Successor’s Powers
Patrick said on the Mark Davis Show that Republican senators should consider transferring some powers of the lieutenant governor to the Senate majority leader. He did not specify which responsibilities should be shifted. The lieutenant governor presides over the Senate and has influence over committee assignments, the budget and which bills reach the floor.
Goodwin won about 5.08 million votes, or 51.7%, to Patrick’s 4.48 million, or 45.6%—a margin of roughly 599,000 votes. Patrick said the election was fair and acknowledged that Goodwin had won. He argued that Republicans should retain their Senate majority despite losing statewide offices, noting that 16 of the 31 senators can change chamber rules.
Goodwin said she was ready to work with Republican lawmakers, while warning that limiting her authority would carry political risks ahead of the next elections in 2028. Her team has contacted Republican senators about working together, and she has described a collaborative Senate as best for Texas.
Patrick, in the lieutenant governor role from January 2015, said he will not run for office again. He plans to remain involved in politics through a venture called Patrick Strategies and said he would continue opposing Democratic proposals in the Legislature after leaving office in January.
Patrick Moves to Weaken the Democrat Voters Chose
Texas voters chose Goodwin as lieutenant governor, but Patrick is urging the Republican-controlled Senate to shift powers away from her before she takes office. The move would put the authority of an elected official at the mercy of legislators from the party that lost the statewide race.
Patrick said senators should consider transferring powers to the majority leader, though he did not identify which ones. The lieutenant governor has influence over committee appointments, budget negotiations and which bills reach the Senate floor. Republicans have 19 of the Senate’s 31 seats, and Patrick noted that 16 senators can change the rules.
Goodwin said she wants to work with Republicans and called for a deliberative, collaborative Senate. She warned that stripping powers from her would carry political risks when voters return in 2028. Her team has already reached out to Republican lawmakers about cooperation.
Patrick acknowledged that Goodwin won fairly: she received about 5.08 million votes, compared with his 4.48 million. Yet he argues that Republicans should preserve their control of the chamber despite losing the lieutenant governor’s office. That approach would let the Senate majority blunt the authority voters granted to its incoming presiding officer.
Senate Republicans Should Protect the Majority Voters Kept
Goodwin won the lieutenant governor’s race, but Republicans won control of the Texas Senate. Patrick says the chamber’s Republican majority should not surrender its authority simply because Democrats captured statewide offices.
Patrick urged senators to consider moving some powers of the lieutenant governor to the majority leader, without specifying which responsibilities. He pointed out that 16 of the 31 senators can change Senate rules. The lieutenant governor has substantial influence over committee assignments, budget negotiations and which bills reach the floor, making the rules question consequential for the legislative agenda.
Patrick also accepted the election result, saying it was fair and that Goodwin won. She has said she is eager to work with Republicans and warned that curbing her authority could carry political risks in 2028. Her team has contacted Republican lawmakers to discuss cooperation.
The central question is whether the Senate majority will exercise powers it still holds or defer to the incoming lieutenant governor’s traditional role. Patrick’s position puts the Republican-controlled chamber’s authority ahead of handing Goodwin the full influence associated with her office.
Reported by The Daily Beast, Houston Public Media, FOX 26 Houston, Breitbart, KPRC 2 Click2Houston.
