More on Craddick

AUSTIN (AP) - Joe Straus, the Texas House speaker heir-apparent, vowed to reduce the influence of special interests in Austin and said nearly two-thirds of his fellow members support his candidacy now that Speaker Tom Craddick has dropped out of the race.

During an exclusive interview with The Associated Press, the Republican lawmaker announced he had 92 of 150 House members backing him and said more would be joining his team ahead of the formal Jan. 13 vote. Moments later, the count had increased to 94, an aide said.

Straus later appeared for a news conference at the Capitol Rotunda where dozens of Republican and Democratic lawmakers cheered his arrival.

Craddick, the longest serving Republican in state elective office, gave up his re-election bid Sunday night, making Straus the clear front-runner in the race to succeed him. Rep. John Smithee, R-Amarillo, has mounted a long-shot bid to oppose Straus.

A wealthy San Antonio businessman, Straus was not measuring the curtains yet in the speaker's apartment. In fact, Straus, whose teenage daughters attend school in San Antonio, said he had no plans to even live in the spacious capitol residence. But he told the AP he was already looking ahead to the 2009 session and promised to heal wounds and push reforms in the badly divided House chamber.

Many members complained that Craddick, the first GOP speaker since the Civil War era, ruled with an iron-fist and gave lobbyists too much sway over policy deliberations.

"There's been this feeling that from time to time there's been undue pressure and influence from special interests and I want the members to know that I'm going to protect them to do what their districts want them to do on issues," Straus said. "The lobby plays an important role in forming public policy, but they shouldn't dominate and members should feel free to act in the interests of people who sent them here."

Rep. Dan Branch, R-Dallas, said Straus is willing to reach across party lines and build consensus.

"I think Joe will go down in history as one of the great speakers because of his tone and temperament," Branch said.

Senfronia Thompson, D-Houston, one of the first Democrats to file for speaker, said she was "delightfully shocked" to learn that Straus had emerged as the front-runner earlier in the weekend. Republicans "couldn't have chosen a better person to fill that post."

A core group of conservative Republicans, the bedrock of Craddick's old coalition, are backing Smithee over Straus. They complain that Straus is not one of them - that he's too liberal on abortion and gambling issues in particular. Straus' family has been in the horse racing business for close to 100 years, and anti-gambling forces fear he would use his powerful post to promote an expansion of gambling in Texas.

Straus, whose family holds a stake in San Antonio's Retama Park horse racing track, said he would take a hands-off approach to gambling bills and allow the chamber to exercise its will.

"I will not be involved in an issue, any issue, where my personal interests will be advanced," Straus said.

"I don't have a role in Retama," he added. "I have a small limited partnership interest ... I don't have any management or decision-making role in anything related to that industry."

As for abortion, Straus noted that he supports restrictions on the procedure, including a requirement that parents give their consent before their minor children terminate a pregnancy. But he also made it clear that he favors laws that give women abortion rights.

"I support existing laws on abortion," he said. "I believe the laws that are currently in place are not at this point a state matter."