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question everything

(47,265 posts)
Sat Apr 6, 2013, 12:59 PM Apr 2013

Deep in the Red of Texas, Republicans Fight the Blues

By NEIL KING JR.

AUSTIN, Texas—Soon after Texas Republicans notched another round of lopsided wins last November, the state GOP sent notice to its local chapters: Please stop holding party meetings in country clubs. Other advice followed. Please consider hosting Republican recruiting tables at naturalization ceremonies. Word spread among state GOP lawmakers to back off on bills targeting illegal immigrants in the legislative session.

(snip)

Republicans have won all of Texas' 29 statewide offices since 1994, the longest streak of single-party dominance in the country. Republican Rick Perry is the state's longest-serving governor... But Republicans here are suddenly looking over their shoulder, worried that demographic shifts and a big push by Democrats to capitalize could soon turn the state into the ultimate battleground between the two parties. One of the most important backroom players in President Obama's 2012 campaign has launched a broad effort to pull the state into the Democratic column.

(snip)

Texas has some of the country's lowest voter-participation rates, especially among groups that typically skew Democratic, That leads some Democrats to compare the state to a vast oil field that has yet to be tapped. The state has 13.6 million registered voters. But Democrats say there are nearly three million eligible but unregistered Hispanics and African Americans, and at least half that many who are registered but don't vote. Mr. Romney won Texas by a margin of 1.2 million votes in November.. Led by former Obama field director Jeremy Bird, the Battleground Texas project plans to marshal much the same manpower and data-mining the Obama campaign used to swing states such as Colorado and Virginia in the past two elections.

(snip)

Democrats point to a little-noted mobilization drive called the 21 Precinct Project that the Travis County Democratic Party ran in the largely Hispanic and African-American neighborhoods of East Austin. In the fall of 2010, the party combed through data to identify 23,452 households where residents were registered, and likely to be Democrats, but rarely voted. A team of 41 volunteers and paid staff then spent five weeks calling and visiting those homes, urging them to vote. The project cost a little over $40,000. The results were startling: a 54% jump in straight-ticket Democratic voting, and a turnout rate nearly 20% higher than the rest of Travis County. The conclusion, according to county Democratic chairman Andy Brown, who ran the drive: "People respond if you ask for their vote. And in Texas, millions of people have never been asked."

(snip)

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424127887324883604578397021579876246.html

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Deep in the Red of Texas, Republicans Fight the Blues (Original Post) question everything Apr 2013 OP
We need to undertake a massive voter registration drive by November 2014 LonePirate Apr 2013 #1
I tried this theme yesterday, too DFW Apr 2013 #2
Sorry I missed it question everything Apr 2013 #4
According to Wiki GeoWilliam750 Apr 2013 #3
I hadn't realized there was an issue with voter participation rates... CBHagman Apr 2013 #5
Well, now you do. illegaloperation Apr 2013 #6
Demographics is looking good. illegaloperation Apr 2013 #7

LonePirate

(13,386 posts)
1. We need to undertake a massive voter registration drive by November 2014
Sat Apr 6, 2013, 01:55 PM
Apr 2013

Even if it nets us only a couple of seats in Congress, it will be money well spent.

Unless Hillary runs, it will be tough to turn Texas blue in 2016; but I would love to make those Republican bastards sweat for a change.

GeoWilliam750

(2,519 posts)
3. According to Wiki
Sat Apr 6, 2013, 07:35 PM
Apr 2013

Texas is now less than 50% white Caucasian, and falling. A get out the vote project could go a very long way, especially if done in the Texas house - Texas senate will be much tougher. Then redistricting in 2020 - or earlier possibly, could switch a large number of House seats from red to blue. (sometimes, I really dislike this "red" and "blue" terminology, it makes it sound like a board game rather than the struggle between creators of value and extractors - of value)

Demographics are very much in the favour of Democrats, and my guess is that Texas can turn blue if enough effort is put into getting people out to vote.

However, then the problem becomes that the Republicans might become more reasonable - think Eisenhower - pulling some in the middle back to the right.

CBHagman

(16,968 posts)
5. I hadn't realized there was an issue with voter participation rates...
Sat Apr 6, 2013, 11:42 PM
Apr 2013

...though I might have guessed there were too few people registered. Thanks for posting.

illegaloperation

(260 posts)
7. Demographics is looking good.
Sun Apr 7, 2013, 01:43 AM
Apr 2013

Hispanic Population as Percentage of Population by County, 2010 (Source: U.S. Census Bureau)


African Americans as Percent of Population by County, 2010 (Source: U.S. Census Bureau)


There're a lot of potential Hispanic voters in the east and potential African American voters in the west.

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