Dallas County’s Republican Party lost a US Congressman, a State Senator, five State Representatives and the District Attorney in Tuesday’s election.
”A take you back to the woodshed kind of whooping,” is how Dallas Morning News Political Writer Gromer Jeffers described the defeats.
“Republican districts, drawn for Republicans, in areas that were not just leaning Republican but solid Republican,” Jeffers said.
It comes on top of the dominance Democrats already had in other Dallas County positions and along with closer than expected showings for Democrats in Tarrant and Collin County.
“Certainly we would have liked a different outcome but we need to learn from this moment,” Dallas County Republican Party Chairperson Missy Shorey said.
Democrats outspent Republicans in U. S. Rep. Pete Sessions’ (R-Dallas) loss to challenger Colin Allred.
U.S. Rep. Beto O’Rourke (D-El Paso) raised far more money and won Tarrant County even though he lost narrowly statewide to U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz (R-TX) who raised less cash.
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“We need to compete on that level of funds,” Shorey said. “And then of course we need to make sure that we have candidates who are out there with a positive message, representing our values. And that they have charisma that connects with voters. Those are things we can do better and will do better.”
Shorey also said straight ticket voting will be less of a factor in 2020 with new rules taking effect.
Republicans insist President Donald Trump is popular in Texas.
John Creuzot, the Democrat who ousted Republican District Attorney Faith Johnson Tuesday, said the results demonstrated the opposite in Dallas County.
“We should not allow one person to foul up 200 plus years of democracy and decency and I think that was the message that was sent today,” Creuzot said.
Jeffers said a combination of factors are at play in more defeats for Republicans and closer races in many Texas Republican victories, including demographic shifts, population changes and more people coming to Texas from the Northeast and from California.
He said O’Rourke’s close loss to Cruz is further evidence of improvement for the Democratic Party statewide.
“And if it continues to increase its share of the statewide vote, look out. We’ll see Texas become a battleground,” Jeffers said.
Republicans still hold all the major statewide offices and majorities in both the Texas Senate and House. But the Republican majorities in the legislature are not as wide as before.
