“Don’t mess with Texas!!”
This saying is one of Texan’s favorites. And while it applies to a diversity of situations, it certainly applies to politics and presidential elections. When it comes to voter support for the Republican party, no state in the U.S. has as much power as Texas. With 38 electoral votes, Texas has established itself as the engine of the Republican party. Without Texas’ support, it’s likely that no Republican candidate would ever win the presidency again… In a perfect world, right? It’s no surprise then that Republicans are becoming extremely concerned by the fact that Texas is becoming bluer and bluer every year.
Let’s put some of this into perspective: If, during the 2012 elections, Texas had voted Democratic instead of Republican, Romney could have taken all of the Northeast and still have fallen very short against Obama’s campaign. By the same vein, if Texas had voted Democrat, Romney could have taken all of the Great Lakes area and still have lost the 2012 presidential election. And if Romney had taken all of the West Coast, but had lost the support of Texas, victory would still have eluded him. this is all to say, Texas is the linchpin of Republican success. Without Texas, victory is unlikely for any Republican candidate. In both the 2000 and 2004 elections, George W. Bush’s loss would have been inevitable if Texas had turned blue.
This issue is unique to Republicans, as the loss of California in 2008 and 2012 elections wouldn’t have affected Obama’s win. Even though California has 55 electoral votes, the loss of those votes isn’thave been enough to take the win away.
There’s no denying that if Texas’ shifted politically, from red to blue, Republicans are in for a beating. And this is precisely what seems to be happening. But why? How? Texas is known for staunch conservative beliefs. What is spurring this sudden shift?
The city of Houston is becoming increasingly Hispanic, with a large Asian population growing as well. Approximately 90 languages are used within the Houston population, the city government publishes its information in six different languages so as to accommodate as many non-native english speakers as possible. Nearly 100 percent of the growing population is comprised of nonwhites, and the Republican outlook is quite bleak.
Not only are the cities more diverse than ever, but so are the suburbs and counties that have been white Republican areas. Today, Missouri City is the most diverse area, including Hispanics, African-Americans, and Asians. The shifting minorities will also likely cause white conservatives to leave these areas, thereby increasing the speed with which political demographics change exponentially. The same has been found in other areas of Texas, including San Antonio, Dallas-Fort Worth, and Houston.
These areas and their demographics are not known for supporting conservatives. So in order to address the problem Republicans will probably try to suppress voters in that areas, but that certainly isn’t a long-term solution. The best way to address the problem would be to update their party’s archaic, bigoted, and suppressive characteristics… But I think the GOP would rather go extinct than relinquish their warped ideals.
While Texas may not become a Democratic state today or even in the next couple of years, it’s certainly something we can expect to happen in the near future. We can only hope. An America where the Republican Party physically couldn’t win a presidency is an America that would strive for progress unhampered. I for one will be anxiously awaiting Texas’ blue days.