Dustin Burrows is elected Speaker of the Texas House, signaling potential bipartisanship in addressing state issues.

The 89th legislative session began Tuesday with members of the Texas House electing Rep. Dustin Burrows as their new speaker after a month-long divisive battle among Republicans. Burrows won the speaker's race by a vote of 85-55.

Texas has a powerful new House speaker after years of escalating Republican infighting. Dustin Burrows won the job on Tuesday with the support of Democrats who favored him over a challenger backed by the GOP’s emboldened hard right.

The political donations came in the two weeks before the fundraising blackout period tied to the legislative session.

Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick, who heads the Texas Senate, opposed Burrows’ run for Speaker. He has since released a statement saying both the house and senate are required to pass legislation and he’s “counting” on Burrows to pass conservative legislation.

The new speaker’s power over the budget and committee assignments is expected to bolster established Republican leaders and some Democrats who supported the winner.

An exciting and dramatic first day of the Texas legislative session is in the books. The House of Representatives elected a new speaker, but he wasn't the candidate with his party's official backing.