Anti-abortion activist Mark Lee Dickson has pitted himself against a faction of conservative lawmakers in Austin by endorsing Dustin Burrows (R-Lubbock) for Texas House Speaker.

Dade Phelan (R-Beaumont), the incumbent Speaker, recently exited the speaker race. Phelan has earned opposition from conservative lawmakers and politicians, who have criticized his support for appointing Democrats as committee chairs and his role in the impeachment of Attorney General Ken Paxton.

Since Phelan’s exit from the race, David Cook (R-Mansfield) won the support of the Republican caucus. However, while Republicans hold am 88 to 62 majority, Cook’s support within the caucus, which mostly consists of the more conservative members, may not be enough for him to take the speaker’s seat.

Meanwhile, Dustin Burrows has announced he does have enough votes to secure the speakership, with several Democratic house members backing his bid.

Outside of House members, several other political figures have backed Burrows. On Sunday, Lubbock Mayor Mark McBrayer released a statement praising Burrows’ “ability to unite people across the state.”

More recently, Mark Lee Dickson has thrown his support behind Burrows. “I see Representative Dustin Burrows as someone who I can trust and someone who I believe is good for the State of Texas,” said Dickson in a Facebook post. “While I do not agree with everything that has transpired in this Speaker-race, on both sides, Representative Burrows has my full support, and I look forward to working with him as Speaker of the Texas House.”

Dickson’s endorsement comes on the heels of a major defeat for his Sanctuary City for the Unborn ordinance, which was rejected by nearly 60% of Amarillo voters at the ballot box last month.