For the past four years, Texas House Speaker Dade Phelan has wielded control over not just the state's legislative body but also, to an extent, the state's Republican Party and the priority policy agenda it pursued.

In a surprise move on Friday, Phelan announced that he was ending his bid for a third term as the speaker and would withdraw himself from consideration for that powerful and prestigious position, The Texas Tribune reported.

Thus ends an at-times bitter, months-long fight waged by some of Phelan's fellow Republicans to force him out of his position of authority, which they believe he has abused and mismanaged to the detriment of the party and its policy goals, and sets the stage for a brief battle to figure out who will succeed him.

Phelan drops out of speakership race

The Tribune reported that Speaker Phelan for months had resisted efforts from some in his party to push him aside and had insisted that he maintained sufficient support to fend off a challenge from his right flank in the form of GOP state Rep. David Cook.

However, in a Friday statement, Phelan said, "Out of deep respect for this institution and its members, and after careful consideration and private consultation with colleagues, I have made the difficult decision to withdraw from the race for Speaker of the Texas House."

"By stepping aside, I believe we create the best opportunity for our members to rally around a new candidate who will uphold the principles that make our House one of the most exceptional, deliberative legislative bodies in the country -- a place where honor, integrity, and the right of every member to vote their district takes utmost precedent," he continued.

The outgoing speaker thanked the "principled conservatives" who supported him and showed "steadfast resolve and courage in the face of immense intimidation from outsiders wishing to influence our chamber and its processes," and added, "Though the battle for my speakership is over, the war for the integrity of this chamber wages on -- and we will win."

Who will be the next speaker?

According to the Lubbock Avalanche-Journal, Speaker Phelan's withdrawal announcement came just one day before Texas House Republicans, who enjoy an 88-62 majority over Democrats in the chamber, were set to meet behind closed doors on Saturday to choose their nominee to be the speaker for the next term that begins on January 14.

Almost immediately after Phelan revealed his decision, one of his most loyal allies in the House filed the appropriate paperwork to make himself a candidate to replace Phelan and joined a field of nine other House Republicans who are vying for the speakership.

Per the rules of the GOP caucus, any candidate who receives at least 60% of the votes on Saturday will then ostensibly be guaranteed the united support of all 88 members when it comes time for the full chamber to vote on who will lead the House in the next session. To win, the nominee will need the support of a majority of the entire 150-member House, or 76 members.

Phelan's political enemies glad he will soon be gone

The Austin American-Statesman reported that while Speaker Phelan started off strong in his first term in that position, the last two years have been wracked with in-fighting and, though Phelan certainly has plenty of allies, he has also made some powerful and influential enemies, including Republican Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick, the leader of the more conservative state Senate, and Republican Attorney General Ken Paxton, who Phelan impeached but failed to see removed from office after the Senate acquitted him.

Paxton wasted no time in issuing a celebratory statement on the "demise" of the current speaker and said, "Phelan's legacy is one of betrayal: Prioritizing Democrat interests over his own caucus, leaving Republican members exposed, attempting a shameful impeachment stunt, and consistently failing to deliver for the voters who sent him to Austin."

Also weighing in, albeit in a more subtle manner, was Patrick, who in a lengthy X post urged Texas House Republicans to "turn a new page" and "hit the reset button" on their leadership. He also appeared to take a shot at Phelan when he wrote about how Senate Republicans had to seize back power from the Democratic minority and said, "We still work across the aisle, but we don’t cede power to them. That’s what elections are about."

In a follow-up post, Patrick added, "The House Republican Caucus can make history tomorrow and unite behind a reform candidate and for the first time in history send a nominee to the floor in January. Don’t stop at 53 -- whether tomorrow or January 14, press on to 76 Republican votes to achieve for the ultimate victory."