Lubbock, was elected speaker of the Texas House on Tuesday, concluding a bitter and intense power struggle within the Republican party that came down to an extraordinary floor vote to decide who would fill one of the most powerful positions in state government.

Lubbock Republican state Rep. Dustin Burrows clenched the speakership of the Texas House on Tuesday in the culmination of an unusually long and unusually public mudfight for the role. As expected, Burrows relied on a coalition of Democratic and Republican members to win,

Burrows bested challenger David Cook (R-Mansfield) in a runoff vote on the first day of the Texas Legislature in Austin.

It took just two votes Tuesday afternoon to determine the next Speaker of the Texas House of Representatives. The president-elect said he had an “obligation” to attack one specific late night host. Nadya Suleman,

Rep. Dustin Burrows, a Lubbock Republican, was elected speaker of the Texas House as the 89th session of the Texas Legislature kicked off Tuesday, defeating the preferred candidate of grassroots Republicans and requiring help from Democrats to prevail.