Republican Congressman Will Hurd’s announced retirement sent shockwaves from his home state of Texas all the way to Washington. Three more Texas Republicans have since announced their retirements, bringing to four the number of Lone Star state House Republicans hanging up their spurs.
Hurd’s announcement comes at the very moment the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee plants its battle flag in what it’s now calling “Texodus.” The DCCC hopes to flip as many as nine additional seats in Texas. The spate of retiring incumbents who won narrowly in 2018 puts Texas squarely at the center of the two parties’ fight for control of the U.S. House.
Furthermore, the GOP-controlled Texas state legislature is suddenly quite competitive. In fact, Democrats are only nine seats shy of taking back the lower chamber. There, the Democratic minority claims 16 seats are within reach of flipping. And polls show that U.S. Senator John Cornyn may be in trouble, too.
Suddenly, everything in Texas seems in play. Not since Karl Rove orchestrated the most consequential political takeover in state history more than two decades ago has Texas been so up-for-grabs.
To make better sense of the Texas political landscape, let’s look at Latino Decisions’ recent polling in the state and what it might mean for U.S. House races. CONT.
Latino Decisions