Concerned Citizens

In a posting today in Postcards, the lege blog of the Austin American-Statesman, State Rep. Frank Corte (R-San Antonio) confirmed he will not be seeking re-election as chairman of the House GOP caucus. He said that the fact that Speaker Joe Straus (R-San Antonio) was elected did not factor into his decision. Some are speculating that he may have decided not to run for chairman to avoid having to criticize a fellow representative from Bexar County if the situation arose.

Corte was a supporter of Rep. Craddick during the recent battle for speaker of the House over the holidays. Corte’s position has been conservative which conflicted with some of Straus’ own positions. It will be interesting to see how this plays out during Straus’ first term as speaker. By declining the chairmanship Corte has the opportunity to align with a conservative block when dealing with legislation and avoiding appearing too divisive. It may serve as a good strategy for this session.

Corte has always been an interesting legislator in the Texas House. Recently he came under fire when it was discovered his District 122 residence was actually a vacant lot and was living in District 116, Rep. Trey Martinez-Fischer’s district. He weathered that controversy but it should come back up in 2010 when he runs for re-election if he hasn’t resolved the residence issue.

Regarding issues Corte is pro-life and supports conservative views on government. Vote Smart provides a record of his voting and positions.  In looking at those positions it is very apparent of his conservative position on issues, garnering a zero score from the Texas Freedom Network. With Straus as speaker and a 76-74 split between Republicans and Democrats Corte will be facing an uphill battle pushing such an agenda through this House session.