The Lone Star State is set to become a deep shade of red following Tuesday’s midterm elections. Texans overwhelmingly rejected left-leaning candidates — no statewide Democrat came close to beating their Republican opponents. The outcome signifies that the left’s desire to turn Texas into a purple state is nothing more than a pipe dream.
It is easy to surmise, given Tuesday’s results, that Democrats will have a tough time gaining enough momentum to come out on top during future statewide races.
Perhaps most telling is the fact that Republican Greg Abbott, the state’s current Attorney General, steamrolled Democratic State Senator Wendy Davis in the gubernatorial race. Davis entered the race as the mainstream media’s darling, following her 11 hour abortion filibuster. Despite earning more national attention than any other Texas Democrat in recent years, Davis earned significantly fewer votes than Democratic Houston Mayor Bill White, who ran for Texas Governor in 2010. Davis even appeared turned off constituents in her own district — her seat in the Texas Senate was won by Tea Party favorite Konni Burton.
Despite the crushing defeats, Democrats are trying to appear optimistic. Battleground Texas, a group dedicated to transforming Texas into a swing state, provided Breitbart Texas with a statement about their plans moving forward.
Despite being curb-stomped by Republicans on Tuesday, the group claims it will continue “registering new voters and engaging Texans who are already registered but who haven’t been making their voices heard at the ballot box. Over the long term, we believe that Battleground Texas and our partners will turn Texas purple.”
But that will be no easy task.
Mark Jones, a political-science professor at Rice University in Houston, told the Wall Street Journal that Texas Democrats may have trouble gaining national support during future races. He said, “The danger for Texas Democrats is that national Democrats may no longer be susceptible to the sales pitch that Texas is on the cusp of turning purple….it’ll be extremely difficult for Democrats unless Republicans create an extreme amount of ill will in Austin.”
Tuesday’s results will likely quiet concerns that new Texas transplants — many of whom flock from the nation’s most liberal cities — will embolden the push to turn Texas blue.
Statistics released by the federal government show that America’s biggest blue cities, like New York and L.A., are losing people at a rapid rate to Texas cities like Austin, San Antonio, Houston, and Dallas. Many initially theorized that the migants would help slowly transform Texas into a liberal stronghold. Julian Castro, the liberal mayor of San Antonio, said that he thought the incoming population will make Texas less Republican.
It is now clear, however, that the exodus has had no such effect.
Chuck DeVore, Vice President of Policy at the Texas Public Policy Foundation told Breitbart Texas that many of the new transplants are conservatives looking to escape suffocating regulation in blue states. “Migration is largely of taxpaying entrepreneurs and hardworking people who want to escape,” he said.
Those in search of a deep red state will be happy to call Texas home. The clear victory will allow conservatives in the state to affect real change.
Vance Ginn, an economist at the Texas Public Policy Foundation, told Breitbart Texas that the new legislature can start by embracing responsible spending. “The Texas Legislature can limit spending to no more than population growth plus inflation,” Ginn said. “By doing this, legislators can provide valuable tax relief to Texans by eliminating the state’s costly business tax.”
He concluded, “This is a perfect storm for the legislature to provide more opportunity for all Texans.”
Follow Kristin on Twitter @KristinBTate.