As we head into 2020, brace yourself for an onslaught of headlines from national media posing a reductive question: “Will Texas Turn Blue?” It’s become something of a biannual assignment for political commentators.
Yes, 2020 could very likely be a banner election cycle for Texas Democrats. The political future of the state is on the line for perhaps the first time this century. Democrats are charged up, brimming with grassroots activism, and eager to build on the progress made by Beto O’Rourke’s near-win and the substantial down-ballot gains that came with it. The possibility of a once-in-a-generation political realignment—fueled by a surge of young and diverse voters and a breakdown of the GOP’s suburban red wall—is, indeed, very real.
But be wary of those who pontificate on the political hue of Texas. Focusing on the question of whether Trump—and similarly, U.S. Senator John Cornyn—could lose here just obscures the many other potential sea changes that are just as consequential to the future of Lone Star politics, if not more so.
