Texas
Related: About this forumAs Democrats Divebomb, the Texas Legislature Remains as White and Male as Ever
Senfronia Thompson, a long-time Democratic legislator from Houston, was one of the first to throw her hat in the ring for House Speaker when it appeared in November that her party might finally take control of the Texas House of Representatives.
Thompson, one of the co-founders of the Texas Legislative Black Caucus and an outspoken advocate for womens health for decades, joined the Legislature in the 1970s, before women could even apply to receive their own line of bank credit. This election cycle, she seemed to be a favorite to become the first female speaker in Texas history. With more than two dozen races labeled as competitive by political scientists like the Baker Institutes Mark Jones, it seemed possible that Texas Democrats could pick up nine seats needed to seize the majority.
But thats not what happened on Tuesday night. Democrats seem to have made no net gains at allwinning one seat but losing another both in the Houston area. Though results are not final, Republicans appear to have maintained their 83-67 advantage.
That means the power remains with the GOP, whose side of the Legislature is both overwhelmingly male and white. A whopping 79 of Texas 83 Republican legislators (both incumbents and newly elected lawmakers) identify as white and non-Latino. Thats 95 percent in a state where only about 41 percent of the population is Anglo.
Read more: https://www.texasobserver.org/texas-legislature-white-male-as-ever/
Shell_Seas
(3,329 posts)cilla4progress
(24,718 posts)By Beto???
mdelaguna
(471 posts)LeftInTX
(25,144 posts)We actually did better in 2018. We lost CD-23 by a higher margin this time. No redistricting was involved.
LeftInTX
(25,144 posts)Who knows what this emboldened crop of politicians will do with redistricting? We no longer have the Voting Rights Act to protect us.