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Numerous and active caucuses may make legislative bodies more democratic. Caucuses create multiple centers of political power that promote competition as well as cooperation. They also promote debate, organize the unorganized, and defend the interests of minority parties and groups.
The rise of caucuses in the Texas Legislature reflects the growing diversity of the state and the delayed inclusion of groups that were excluded from political institutions as the result of historical discrimination. As the state continues to become more diverse and this process of inclusion continues, the number and influence of caucuses may grow.
Will caucuses ultimately challenge the concentrated power of the legislative leadership, the President of the Senate and the Speaker of the House? The power of the Speaker is more likely to be diminished sooner than that of the President of the Senate, because the Speaker is chosen directly by the membership. Tight partisan competition and the growing power of racial/ethnic groups in society may very well increase the influence of caucuses in choosing the Speaker.
In contrast, the President of the Senate is always, by constitutional specification, the Lieutenant Governor--a post chosen directly by the people in popular elections. As a result, the power of caucuses in the Senate vis-à-vis the leadership probably will not increase as much--or, at least, much more slowly. Yet caucuses continue to form in the Legislature, especially around policy and issue areas, suggesting that social changes outside the halls of the Capitol will continue to influence organization under the dome.
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