Dennis Bonnen, Michael Quinn Sullivan and who? We break down who was in the room and who’s mentioned on the tape.

When Republican House Speaker Dennis Bonnen and conservative activist Michael Quinn Sullivan held their now infamous meeting in the Texas Capitol in June, a lot of names came up.

Bonnen suggested that Sullivan target a group of Republicans in the 2020 primaries, according to a recording of the meeting released Tuesday. He also spoke disparagingly about multiple Democrats, calling one House member “vile” and suggesting that another’s “wife’s gonna be really pissed when she learns he’s gay.”

Sullivan runs Empower Texans, a group largely funded by oil money that’s a hybrid political lobbying firm, news outlet and political action committee.

Here’s who was at the meeting, and what they talked about:

In the room for the conversation

After a drama-free legislative session as House Speaker, Bonnen met with Sullivan and then-GOP caucus chair Dustin Burrows on June 12. Sullivan recorded the hour-long conversation. The people below are heard on the recording.

Rep. Dennis Bonnen

Speaker of the House

RAngleton
District 25

After being unanimously elected speaker of the House in January, Bonnen presided over what was widely lauded as a successful, low-drama legislative session. When the session wrapped up in May, Bonnen warned House members not to campaign against each other — or else, he said, there would be consequences. But his conversation with conservative activist Michael Quinn Sullivan has pulled him into political hot water.

Rep. Dustin Burrows

Former House GOP Caucus chair

RLubbock
District 83

Burrows was a top lieutenant of Bonnen’s in 2019, helping usher a property tax reform package through the Legislature. Bonnen said he asked Burrows to come to the meeting with Michael Quinn Sullivan. Burrows stayed silent on the allegations for weeks and eventually resigned as chair of the House GOP Caucus, but remains a member of the House.

Michael Quinn Sullivan

CEO of Empower Texans

Sullivan is a hardline conservative activist and a longtime thorn in the side of state House leadership. His group, Empower Texans, grades lawmakers on their conservative bona fides and has spent hundreds of thousands of dollars on primary campaigns against GOP lawmakers not deemed conservative enough.

The target list

Bonnen told Sullivan that Burrows would list members to potentially target in the 2020 primaries. Bonnen could be heard leaving the room before Burrows listed off the names of Republicans Sullivan’s group could target in 2020. Burrows did not explicitly endorse primary challenges against the 10 members but made clear in at least one case that he didn't want to see one of them return.

Rep. Steve Allison

RSan Antonio
District 121

Allison replaced Joe Straus, a five-term speaker and Bonnen’s predecessor, in the lower chamber. Allison received nearly $20,000 in in-kind polling from Bonnen’s new political action committee earlier this year.

Rep. Trent Ashby

RLufkin
District 57

Ashby was included in the list for voting against the controversial taxpayer funded lobbying bill. In 2018, Ashby won 79% of the vote in his district against his Democratic opponent. He was uncontested in the primaries.

Rep. Ernest Bailes

RShepherd
District 18

Shortly after Bonnen publicly denied he was targeting House members, Bailes criticized Burrows for not addressing Sullivan’s claims of such a list with GOP caucus members. "The deft silence only solidifies truth within the allegations,” Bailes said in a July email to House Republicans.

Rep. Travis Clardy

RNacogdoches
District 11

Clardy was a former candidate for House speaker. He was one of the last candidates to exit the race once it became clear Bonnen was the likely next speaker. And he was one of two candidates who did not immediately endorse Bonnen ahead of the speaker vote.

Rep. Drew Darby

RSan Angelo
District 72

Darby was a former candidate for House speaker. He too was one of the last candidates to exit the race once it became clear Bonnen was the likely next speaker. And he was one of two candidates who did not immediately endorse Bonnen ahead of the speaker vote.

Rep. Kyle Kacal

RCollege Station
District 12

Kacal was included in the list for voting against taxpayer funded lobbying. In 2018, Kacal won 67.6% of the vote in his district against his Democratic opponent. He was uncontested in the primaries.

Rep. Stan Lambert

RAbilene
District 71

Lambert listened to the recording in August, according to the Abilene Reporter News. The paper said he addressed the matter briefly that month and said, "The speaker made it very clear at the end of the session that nobody should be campaigning against incumbents. So it [seems] weird."

Rep. John Raney

RCollege Station
District 14

Raney was included in the list for voting against taxpayer funded lobbying. In 2018, he won his district’s primary at 57.7% against three other candidates. In the general election, Ashby won 56.4% of the vote in his district against his Democratic opponent.

Rep. Phil Stephenson

RWharton
District 85

Stephenson was included in the list for voting against taxpayer funded lobbying. In 2018, Stephenson won 56.5% of the vote in his district against his Democratic opponent. He was uncontested in the primaries.

Rep. Tan Parker

RFlower Mound
District 63

Parker is a former candidate for House speaker and former chair of the House GOP Caucus. At the end of 2018, when Bonnen emerged as the likely next speaker, Parker exited the speaker’s race and threw his support behind his colleague.

Lawmakers who were mentioned

Bonnen and Burrows also disparaged a number of people in the conversation, including both Democratic and Republican House members.

Rep. Keith Bell

RForney
District 4

When Sullivan asks about targeting Bell, Burrows says, “leave him alone. He’s just a dumb freshman.”

Rep. Jon Rosenthal

DHouston
District 135

Bonnen said in the tape that Rosenthal “makes [his] skin crawl” and is “a piece of shit.” He also said that his chief of staff, Gavin Massingill, suggested to him that the Democratic legislator is gay. Rosenthal said in a joint statement with Bonnen over the summer that he had forgiven the speaker for his comments.

Rep. Ana-Maria Ramos

DRichardson
District 102

Bonnen said on the tape that he “can’t stand [her].”

Rep. James Talarico

DRound Rock
District 52

Bonnen mentioned on the recording how he recruited someone to run against “that Talarico kid”. In a statement Tuesday, Talarico said that “the Speaker has lost his way.”

Rep. Michelle Beckley

DCarrollton
District 65

Bonnen calls her “vile” on the tape. Beckley in a statement on Tuesday said the speaker should resign.