When midterm elections arrive, will Texas Democrats be able to win Texas races? It’s possible, but it’ll depend on what approach they take.
We haven’t reviewed candidacies in detail yet — we’ll leave that for our recommendations next year. But the GOP’s redistricting victory in the Supreme Court and the ensuing musical chairs in Democratic races has us thinking.
The Democratic Party doesn’t have the strength in Texas to win statewide elections by appealing only to its most loyal base. The party’s best option is to draw in middle ground voters, or at least those who are sick of the national clown show both parties have been putting on.
If the most progressive candidates prevail in the coming statewide primaries, they’ll have about as much chance of winning in the general election as the Cowboys have of winning the Super Bowl next year.
Opinion
Moderate Democratic candidates have found success in recent statewide elections. Experienced and serious politicians such as Abigail Spanberger and Mikie Sherrill scored big wins in Virginia and New Jersey’s gubernatorial races.
But Democrats should avoid getting overly comfortable with their victories, and Texas will require extra care for the party to even compete. The idea that the state is turning purple has not panned out. Too many aspects of the national Democratic platform do not resonate with voters here.
However, the GOP has continued to move ever further to the right at every level, responding to political stimuli with increasing overzealousness. It has foolishly shrunk the tent wiser Republicans once sought to widen, creating an opportunity for its opposition.
Incidentally, it was similar foolishness on the part of the Democratic Party that opened the door to President Donald Trump’s victories and his success in remaking the GOP in his own image.
In particular, an excessive focus on identity politics and hostility toward anyone wanting to address the border crisis alienated many voters. Republicans saw an opening and seized it, delivering a strong message focused on fiscal conservatism, public safety and economic success. The coming midterms will reveal voters’ opinions about the party’s delivery on that message.
For the record, we would love to see the GOP appeal to moderate voters, too. But all recent evidence is to the contrary. Every cycle seems to deliver increasingly extreme candidates from the party — just look at the Republican primary for the U.S. Senate.
Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton is a contender to topple Texas’ senior Senator, John Cornyn. Paxton is so morally bankrupt it would be comical if only he didn’t wield so much power.
It’s our sincerest hope that the nation is nearing a light at the end of its hyperpartisan political tunnel. Voters will tire of endless bickering and spectacle. Democrats have a chance to pull Texas back to the middle, but the choices they make in coming months will decide whether they have a snowball’s chance in a Dallas July.