In Texas, Republicans Are Still In Charge, But Democrats Were More Competitive

While Beto O’Rourke didn’t defeat Sen. Ted Cruz in the race for the U.S. Senate, Democrats did gain seats in the Texas Legislature.

By Jill AmentNovember 7, 2018 1:46 pm

Here to help us digest Tuesday’s midterm election results are Progress Texas Executive Director Ed Espinoza and Republican strategist Jenifer Sarver.

Sarver says she’s happy about the results because she wants to see the Republican Party move more toward the center and be more inclusive.

“We saw some competitive races, people had to fight for our ideas – and wouldn’t that be a nice idea: Us fighting over ideas, talking about why we have better ideas for the state instead of tearing people down,” Sarver says.

Espinoza says he has mixed feelings about the results, because the blue wave didn’t quite materialize. But Democrats, especially in Texas, did better than in previous years.

“Beto O’Rourke was really a special candidate who performed in a way that we haven’t seen a statewide Democrat do here in decades,” Espinoza says.

What you’ll hear in this segment:

– How the margin between Democrats and Republicans in the Texas Legislature shrunk as a result of the midterms

– How Texas Republicans will need to reach out to urban voters in order to continue to control the legislature

– How many issues, not just one, energized Texas voters

– What needs to be done to get more people to the polls

Written by Caroline Covington.