Texas Speaker Tom Craddick, the first Republican speaker in 130 years when he was elected to the post in 2003, fended off an attempted coup to win his second term as House leader.

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Texas Speaker Tom Craddick, the first Republican speaker in 130 years when he was elected to the post in 2003, fended off an attempted coup to win his second term as House leader. Craddick, who is a 36-year veteran of the House, had helped Republicans take control two years ago. In November, Democrats gained six seats and Republican Representative Jim Pitts tried to build a coalition of members of both parties to...