Title: Texas Politics Shifting: Democrats Gaining Ground in Recent Years
Texas, a historically Republican stronghold, has seen a narrowing margin between Republicans and Democrats in recent years, according to data analysis by KXAN. While no Democrat has won statewide office in Texas since 1994, the margins of victory in elections have been decreasing. In the 2014 gubernatorial election, Greg Abbott beat Wendy Davis by over 20 percentage points, but by 2022, his margin of victory was cut to around 11 percentage points.
In presidential elections, the closeness has been even more evident, with the margin shrinking from about 16 percentage points in 2012 to less than 6 percentage points in 2020. Democrats have found support in large cities like Austin, Houston, Dallas, and El Paso, as well as communities in South Texas and the Rio Grande Valley. Republicans continue to have strong support in rural areas in places like the Panhandle, West Texas, and East Texas.
KXAN’s analysis also showed that some counties have seen significant shifts in their political leanings. For example, Roberts County is the reddest county in the state, while Zavala County is the bluest. Several counties, especially in South Texas, have moved further to the right, while suburban counties have shifted leftward.
Overall, Texas has seen an average shift towards Democrats of 2.37% each election cycle since 2014. The data suggests that Texas politics are evolving, with Democrats gaining ground in several areas across the state.
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Photo credit www.kxan.com