This browser does not support the Video element.
2024 Election was a Red Wave in Texas
Republicans showed their strength in the 2024 election across Texas. From the top of the ticket all the way down Republicans won contests by surprising margins. The FOX Texas Trio talks about what the election means for the future of the Lone Star State.
On election night, Donald Trump won reelection in convincing fashion, but it wasn't just the presidential election where Democrats fell short.
Democrats struggled across the board.
In Texas, some are saying it's time for Democrats to hit the reset button.
"What Texas Democrats have been doing is not working. It's not just a question of being patient, and we will slowly get there. They've been moving in reverse," said SMU Political Scientist Matthew Wilson.
The 30-year streak of Republicans winning statewide elections continued Tuesday night when Republican Ted Cruz won reelection over Democrat Colin Allred.
This browser does not support the Video element.
FULL SPEECH: Ted Cruz declares victory
Ted Cruz delivered his victory speech in Houston Tuesday night after FOX News declared him the winner of another term in the US Senate, defeating his Democratic challenger Colin Allred.
In the final weeks and days, polls painted a picture of a close race. Cruz beat Allred by almost 10 points.
Allred only won 18 counties. Beto O'Rourke won 32 in 2018.
"I think the problem was the overwhelming single-minded focus on the abortion issue," said Wilson. "It came to dominate their whole appeal. And virtually every Colin Allred ad that you saw was about abortion was about 'Ted Cruz's abortion ban.' And at some point, that was just not going to move enough voters. Yes, there are voters that care about abortion, but in the polls, it factored in maybe third, fourth among voters' priorities and concerns."
2024 Presidential Election: How Texas voted by county
How did your county vote in the presidential race? Check our map.
The Democrats' woes continued in the Texas state house where pro-school voucher candidates backed by Gov. Greg Abbott won enough House seats to ensure the measure passes.
"There was a tidal wave of support for those House candidates that I supported," Abbott said during a news conference Wednesday.
Republicans also won four seats from Democrats in the 5th Court of Appeals in Dallas.
Border counties, once a Democratic stronghold, continued to become more red.
Donald Trump flips Texas border county red for first time in more than 100 years
Starr County had not voted for a Republican in a presidential election since 1896. Hillary Clinton won the county by 60 percentage points in 2016.
Trump and Texas Republicans made significant gains with Latino voters, specifically Hispanic men.
In 2020, President Biden carried multiple border counties by double digits. Tuesday, Trump won those counties by three to six percent.
"We are witnessing an ongoing realignment of the Hispanic electorate. It's been progressing over several cycles, and it has continued this time," Wilson said. "The Latino communities, particularly in the border counties, are opposed to illegal immigration. They see, day by day, the effects in their communities of turmoil at the border. They are morally and socially conservative on a lot of issues."
Texas Democratic chair steps down: 'Voters sent a clear message to our party'
Texas Democratic Party Chair Gilberto Hinojosa has announced his resignation following the party's poor showing in the 2024 election.
Wilson said voters were also looking at the economy this election through the lens of cost and not the rate of inflation.
"Voters are still chaffing at the price increases that they saw in 2021-2022," Wilson said. "Even though the price of inflation has come down. They're still saying look, groceries and insurance and my house note and automobiles and all these other things just cost a lot more then they did a few years ago. That resulted in some dissatisfaction with the Biden-Harris administration. Voters reacted negatively when they kept trying to tell them everything's fine. It's all in your head."
You can watch Texas: The Issue Is every Sunday night on TV and anytime on FOX LOCAL.