It was a great day for the GOP in Texas. This is from Texas Tribune:

Texas Republicans maintained their nearly three-decade grip on state government on Tuesday, comfortably fending off a vigorous run to unseat Gov. Greg Abbott and dashing Democratic hopes that the state would turn purple.

Voters returned GOP incumbents to their jobs at the top of the ticket and handed the state’s dominant party its 14th consecutive sweep of statewide offices. Republicans also seemed poised to add slightly to their majorities in the Texas Legislature, where they’ve controlled both chambers for 20 years, and held large leads in all statewide judicial races.

“Tonight Texans sent a message that they want to keep the Lone Star State the beacon of opportunity that we provided over the past eight years,” Abbott wrote on Twitter on Tuesday evening.

What are we doing correctly down here?

It starts with Governor Abbott, a man who leads with a calm demeanor. He comes across as a CEO, and people appreciate a steady hand. Texas’ economic success doesn’t hurt either. Abbott’s campaign ads were about the Texas economy and Beto’s “favorite quotes” from the past.

Image by AndreaWidburg.

Second, the Texas GOP worked hard to build ties with Hispanics. Yes, we did not win those three districts on the border, but we won one and competed in the other two. Governor Abbott chose McAllen, Texas, to deliver his election night victory speech and that was not an accident.

Third, the GOP made the election a referendum on President Biden’s border policies and inflation. It worked here but apparently not in other parts of the US.

Fourth, talking about abortion and gun control did not help Beto O’Rourke. In fact, the town of Uvalde, site of the terrible school shooting, voted for Abbott. I’ve heard that some of the Uvalde residents were angry with Democrats for exploiting the kids’ deaths. On abortion, O’Rourke tried and tried, but it did not move the electorate.

Like Governor DeSantis in Florida and Governor Kemp in Georgia, Governor Abbott ran on competence, and it worked.

Florida and Texas, two of the nation’s three largest states, home to 50 million, were painted red.

P.S. Check out my blog for posts, podcasts and videos.