AUSTIN — The Texas House is off to the races after Speaker Dennis Bonnen announced his new committee assignments this week.

The decisions, which Bonnen had said would be the "hardest thing" he'd have to do as speaker, lay out the chamber's pecking order. The speaker's allies are often tapped to lead high-ranking committees that control state funds, oversee state agencies, control what bills get moved to the floor and draft the state's tax policies. Those at odds with the speaker often get left out in the cold.

Smart speakers try to walk a fine line with these appointments, making sure not to aggravate powerful opponents they may need as the session plays out. They also try to place each member in positions where his or her previous life skills or experiences can be beneficial. Keeping everyone happy in a 150-member chamber is a tall order.

Bonnen said that he had put “thoughtful consideration” into his decisions and that they were made to “reflect the seniority and personal preferences of members and the diverse demographics of the Texas House.”

“I don't want a single member to not feel a part of this House,” he said.

Now that the dust has settled, here's a look at who won big and who lost out, according to a group of experts interviewed by The Dallas Morning News.

WINNERS

Speaker Dennis Bonnen

Committee assignments are tricky, but with a few exceptions, Bonnen managed to keep a wide majority of the House happy. He kept Republicans at the helm of the most powerful committees and extended olive branches to Democrats by appointing them to important positions.

“Bonnen is a winner here. He has shown that he’s going to do this in a very ordered fashion,” said Renee Cross, senior director of the Hobby School of Public Affairs at the University of Houston. “It doesn’t look like a lot of these assignments are just in favor of Republicans or just for politics’ sake. It certainly looks like a much more even hand than what we may see in some other aspects of government right now.”

Bonnen also appointed 15 lawmakers as leaders of committees for the first time in their careers and handily rewarded some of his strongest supporters, strengthening their ties to him. He also gave a nod to rural areas, appointing 15 lawmakers from those areas to leadership posts.

While much of the chamber seems to be walking on clouds after Wednesday's announcement, experts cautioned that Bonnen’s success won’t be fully measured until the end of the session.

“Bonnen has to own everything good in the Legislature, but he’ll also have to own the things that are bad,” said Brian W. Smith, a political science professor at St. Edward’s University.

Democrats

El Paso Democrat Joe Moody was named speaker pro tem. Grand Prairie’s Chris Turner, who leads the Democratic caucus, was given a committee chairmanship. And Terry Canales of Edinburg was given his first chair role as leader of the transportation committee, which will hold sway over billions of dollars in transportation funds.

“That’s big money. That makes you a kingmaker,” Smith said. “You award money and that makes you powerful.”

Moody, who will also serve as vice chairman of the influential calendars committee, was hailed as the “biggest winner” on the Democratic side. The speaker pro tem position, which Bonnen previously held, could give Moody more power in the House but will definitely give him more visibility for his next political move, experts said.

“I think in general Democrats are winners,” said Brandon Rottinghaus of the University of Houston. “They were able to get a balance back that they had hoped for.”

But some don’t see it that way, given that despite significant pickups, Democrats are still in the minority and Republicans control a majority of committees.

“They ended up pretty much the same from one session to another in terms of the influence available to Democrats,” said Cal Jillson, a Southern Methodist University political science professor. “They weren’t shut out, not treated the way the Senate treats Democrats, and they lead a dozen committees, but not the most important ones.”

Checks and balances

By the sheer makeup of the House (83 Republicans and 64 Democrats, with three open seats expected to go to Democrats) the political balance of the chamber has shifted back to the center. And though Republicans still lead 22 of the House’s 34 committees, experts said Bonnen’s inclusion of Democrats reflects a return to a legislative process that requires compromise to get things done.

“There’s a lot more business as usual here,” said Jim Henson, a political science professor at the University of Texas. “You don’t see a dramatic breaking point here. It’s a mosaic of interests, and that’s how the House works.”

Cross said Bonnen had “set aside partisanship” and assigned people, including some from the opposing party, to committees based on their expertise.

“I think the big winners from the House committee assignments are the residents of Texas,” she said.

Speaker hopefuls who got out of the way

Republicans John Zerwas of Richmond and Four Price of Amarillo both vied with Bonnen for the gavel late last year. But after Bonnen started gaining momentum, both stepped aside and were rewarded this week.

Zerwas kept his chairmanship of the powerful appropriations committee, which writes the budget, and Price took over the calendars committee, which decides what bills come to the floor.

“Bonnen is in a strong position, and when you’re in a strong position, what’s the point of holding grudges? You might as well whistle,” Jillson said.

LOSERS

Speaker holdouts

On the other hand, speaker candidates who did not clear the way did not fare well. Phil King, a Republican from Weatherford, was the only one to receive a chairmanship, and it was on the redistricting committee, a much less influential post than his previous role as head of the Homeland Security and Public Safety Committee.

Republican Drew Darby of San Angelo, one of the last two holdouts with Travis Clardy of Nacogdoches, lost his position as leader of two committees he held in 2017.

“If you hold on to the end and don’t recognize the flow of the race, then that suggests that you either don’t know as much as you should or you’ve got some real prejudice against Bonnen that leads you to stay in too long,” Jillson said. “In that case, he’ll give you time to think by seeing that you’re not too busy.”

Freedom Caucus

This group of nearly a dozen staunchly conservative lawmakers was the proverbial thorn in the side of former Speaker Joe Straus, whom they characterized as too moderate. The caucus suffered setbacks in last year’s elections, losing one of its most vocal members in Irving’s Matt Rinaldi, and Plano Rep. Jeff Leach left the caucus before the start of session.

None of the members received a leadership position. But Leach’s appointment as head of the judiciary and civil jurisprudence committee was noteworthy, experts said.

“Leach quit the Freedom Caucus. It’s hard for me to imagine those two things are not connected,” Henson said. “I would receive the message that way.”