A new Washington Post-Survey Monkey poll of registered voters shows the 2016 race for president is tightening and that Texas is in a statistical dead heat between Democrats and Republicans.
"The state is getting bluer by the second," said Anne Holton, wife of Democratic vice presidential candidate Tim Kaine.
Holton, who was Virginia Secretary of Education before her husband joined the Clinton ticket, met with a group of educators during a campaign stop Tuesday in Dallas, one of the bluest cities in the state.
During a one-on-one interview, NBC 5’s Julie Fine asked Holton whether she thinks Texas can flip.
"I'll leave that to the pundits and the experts. I'll just say that Hillary is working to be president of all of the 50 states, and is eager to help voters understand what she has to offer," Holton said.
Clinton herself has been to Texas several times, for both fundraisers and public events. So has former President Bill Clinton. And Texas Democrats have been working to turn the state blue in state and local races.
The Lone Star State going blue in 2016 is definitely a long shot. Texas has not "gone blue" for a president since the late 1970s.
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"Texas is not in play," said SMU political science professor Cal Jillson.
Jillson says while Donald Trump is a weak candidate for the Republicans, he will still win Texas by six to eight points.
The legislature remains controlled by the Republicans as well in Texas.
Former Dallas County Republican Chairman Wade Emmert believes the Republican majority is safe here now.
"I think depending on how the Democrats continue to shift, and how the Republican party both in Texas and nationally continues to evolve, I think there is no reason to believe Texas couldn't be in play someday," said Emmert. "But in the short-term future, I don’t think there is any way Texas turns blue."
As for the Washington Post-Survey Monkey Poll, a spokesperson for the Dallas County Republican Party says the next couple of months is a lifetime in politics and the only poll that counts is the one on Election Day.
