At 87 years old, state Rep. Senfronia Thompson (D-Houston) is already the longest serving woman and longest serving Black legislator in the US. She’s also the longest serving Democrat in the Texas House of Representatives. But on Friday, Thompson announced that she believed she’d have enough votes from House members to become the next speaker, where she’d be the first woman and Black representative to lead. Thompson’s potential victory would make all three of Texas’ top leaders women, each representing different ethnic backgrounds.
While members don’t vote until January, Thompson has spent the last 53 years serving the House, building trust among Democrats and Republicans alike as the unofficial “dean,” meaning she is the longest tenured member. Thompson is referred to by the nickname ‘Ms. T.’ by other House representatives.
Thompson’s bipartisan appeal comes after a Republican controlled session in 2025, where outgoing speaker Dustin Burrows made sure Democratic influence was limited and reserved all committee chair positions for Republicans.
If elected as speaker, Thompson would be responsible for the presiding over the House of Representatives, where she’d be running the daily legislative sessions and signing bills and joint resolutions passed by the Legislature. On the flip side, she’ll even be able to kill legislative proposals before they’re up for a vote—and prevent them from becoming law, making the position one of the most powerful in state government.
As a native Texan, Thompson was born in Booth and raised in Houston, receiving degrees from Texas Southern University and the University of Houston. Thompson is the daughter of a maid and granddaughter of a sharecropper. She grew up inspired by her great-grandmother who was an entrepreneur and ran a boarding house in Fourth Ward.
Thompson has served her neighborhood of Northeast Houston for over four decades, representing the 141st District since 1983.
At a news conference on Friday, Nov. 6, Thompson highlighted her desire to prioritize her constituents.
“The people have spoken in this state, and it’s my responsibility to help guide this House and not tell them what to do,” said Thompson.
