Here's what I think I know about the Speaker's race at this point:

1. I think Jim Pitts is going to have to do some work to make sure he really will get all of the people who have pledged to Brian McCall, in particular the Democrats. We've already seen from the early reports that this deal caught the Dems by surprise. I've since gotten confirmation of that. It's easy to say "well, where else will they go?", but this is about being able to vote your district and do the best you can for your constituents and your own political future. The Dems had a good idea of where they stood with McCall, and now the rug has been pulled out from underneath them. This is far from irreparable, but Pitts (who by all accounts is well liked and respected) is still going to have to talk to people and ask them for their support. You don't get anything in the House without asking for it.

2. I think Pitts needs the Dems because I don't think there are enough Republicans to carry him to victory, assuming that at least some of Craddick's lieutenants stay loyal. This shouldn't be that hard, but mind Senfronia Thompson's quotes. Everyone would go back to her in a heartbeat if it came to that.

3. One wonders who brokered this deal, and what he or she hopes to get out of it. One name that kept popping up in the earlier news stories where a deal was mentioned was Democrat Craig Eiland. Given that everything happened without any consultation with the Democratic leadership, if this is true I think he'll have some explaining to do to his colleagues.

4. There was talk about Pitts being a stalking horse for Craddick when his name first surfaced. It was largely dismissed for a variety of reasons, but I'm getting a nagging feeling about this. It's still a back-of-my-head feeling, but it's there now and it wasn't before. When I see which Republicans have lined up behind Pitts, I'll know if it was a false alarm or not.

I'll know more after I've read the stories in tomorrow's papers. In the meantime, there's more from DallasBlog and Burka, while Peggy Fikac notes that tomorrow's Legislative Budget Board meeting has been postponed. The LBB currently includes Speaker Craddick and Appropriations Chair Pitts, so it's easy to see why. As always, stay tuned.

UPDATE: More from Burka, who thinks maybe Pitts and McCall were in cahoots all along, and that it's looking more like Craddick is toast.

UPDATE: Right of Texas quotes an Austin source who says "many R's 'pledged to Craddick' will be supporting Pitts this upcoming week." RoT also thinks it will come down to whether the Dems will stick together or splinter. I have to agree with that.