Feeling pessimistic, might delete later. You can blame ICE kidnapping people off the streets, a stupid gerrymandering strategy, endless idiotic wars, or even just Ken Paxton being hated. But I think the only reason Texas (and some other usually-red states and districts) flipped is because a lot of people were pissed off that it was costing $200 to fill their huge trucks and SUVs. Is $6 diesel the result of Republican policy? Of course. But if we invaded Iran and it didn’t cause a huge spike in gas prices I don’t think we would be where we are today (and to be clear, I’m very pleased with last night’s results, even if my fucking stupid Florida continues to underperform).
Quick edit to whoever admins this community: I just read the sidebar & rule 1. Mea culpa.
Folks here in Texas were definitely sick of hearing about Ken Paxton. I was sick of him years ago, in local politics, and honestly pushing him was a stupid move for the GOP.
If you look at the electoral map, Austin-adjacent counties bucked historical trends in the Senate race the hardest, and I suspect it’s because of the flood of Paxton drama in local news.
Also, I think the Hispanic vote was a massive factor.
Social media (and some failed Democrat policies) really captured them in the Trump cycles (IMO), but recent events were just too impactful to override.
Exactly. Gas prices are an important factor, but there was so much more than that. Corruption was an extremely high priority in this election, something the MSM didn’t acknowledge much. People are getting really tired of holding their nose and voting. It’s difficult to raise your children with a moral center when the party you are supporting is committing so much corruption on every level.
Then there were the betrayed Latinos, the betrayed young people, the betrayed anti-war people, etc. How many times do you think you’re going to be able to kick someone in the nuts before they’ve had enough, and punch back?