State representative-elect Marva Beck of Centerville, fresh off an upset victory over state Rep. Jim Dunnam, a Waco lawyer, is already in a slightly sticky position.

The Republican’s name appears on lists of members committed to support San Antonio’s Joe Straus for House Speaker, but a top campaign staffer is part of a campaign urging Republican lawmakers to take a different leadership direction.

“A change to a more conservative Speaker is in order,” states a letter that went out Thursday, calling the Texas legislative elections “a clarion call for conservative leadership in the Texas House — leadership that has been absent the past two years.”

A recent e-mail encourages citizens to contact state representatives Marva Beck (left) and Doc Anderson to push for a more conservative House Speaker.

It’s been signed by about 80 leaders of conservative organizations and tea party groups, including Toby Marie Walker, president of the Waco Tea Party and a Beck campaign worker.

State Rep. Warren Chisum, a social conservative, has announced he would like to replace Straus as speaker, though the letter does not endorse any particular House member.

A Waco Tea Party e-mail sent Friday stressed that commitment cards Straus has received from current and incoming members “were NOT signed by the constituents of their districts (and) . . . are NOT binding.”

The e-mail encourages recipients to call and e-mail Beck and State Rep. Charles “Doc” Anderson, R-Waco, stressing the speaker’s race isn’t a done deal.

On Friday, Beck said her support for Straus was not set in stone and would be conditioned on his willingness “to bring to the forefront the bills people in my district are concerned with.”

“Voter ID is a make or break issue,” she said, referring to GOP efforts to require voters to show a registration card as well as a picture ID before casting a ballot.

“I have all the sympathy in the world with the tea party position and I appreciate their work,” she said.

Beck’s campaign has been supported by tea party members and she acknowledged the speaker’s race put her in a bit of a pickle.

“Politics is never pretty,” she said.

Legislators and future House members who don’t support Straus take the risk of earning bad committee assignments if he wins.

Anderson was stronger in his support of Straus, noting “a lot of conservative groups are coming out in support of the speaker.”

Anderson — who received thousands of dollars from Straus for his recent re-election campaign — said if Republicans want to take advantage of their huge election night gains, “the last thing we need is infighting.”

“The only ones who benefit from a circular firing squad,” he said, referring to a potential speaker’s race, “are the liberal factions.”

Anderson added, “To me, it looks like the speaker’s got the support he needs to be re-elected (and) there haven’t been many members who have actually peeled off.”

Anderson said some of the criticisms of Straus made since the election are fair and others unfair.

“He’s been a common-sense kind of manager,” he said. “I don’t agree with everything he does but, particularly on the fiscal conservative side, we agree.”

mshapiro@wacotrib.com

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