@texastribune: State Rep. Senfronia Thompson, the longest-serving woman and the longest-serving Black legislator in any state, said Friday that she has enough votes to win the Texas House speaker’s gavel when the Legislature convenes in January. “The bottom line is, the majority of the House has pledged to me,” Thompson said at a news conference at the Capitol, flanked by a crowd of legislators that included a handful of Republicans. If elected, the Houston Democrat, 87, would become the first woman and the first Black lawmaker to serve as Texas House speaker. Video credit: Texas House of Representatives