The Changing Demographics of Texas

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In the United States, for the last four decades, from Richard Nixon to Ronald Reagan through the two Bush Presidencies, the Republican Party won the White House by amassing large margins among white voters (Lizza.) The state of Texas has been reliably Republican since the 1970s and there are various elements to Texas political culture that can be narrowed down to three essential ideological trends: economic liberalism, or faith in the free market economy, social conservatism, or favoring traditional values and moralism, and populism, or promoting the rights and worthiness of ordinary people (Texas Political Culture.) As a result, the dominant political mood in Texas favors low taxes, minimal government services, and policies that are pro-business. This phenomenon is not static, however, since changing demographics in the state are causing changes in the profile of Texas in reference to electoral politics, among other major issues. This paper will explore different perspectives about the changing demographics of Texas, and where they might lead the state politically, and will present a variety of viewpoints regarding this complex subject. The political future of Texas has been widely debated since the 2012 election of Pres. Barack Obama, since the state has always played a significant role in impacting national elections. Nationally, there was uneven support among minority voters in favor of the president and Democrats, and as a result there has been an increasing interest in the Hispanic population growth in Texas (Lawrence.) The speculation regards how the changing complexion of Texas voters will influence the political process, with political pundits broadly predicting that since the Latino population typically votes for Democr... ... middle of paper ... ...mographic change has forced a transformation in the political world because both of the two major political parties have an incentive to court this population since their success in doing so will play a tremendous role in their ability to win future elections. Works Cited Gonyea, Don. "Texas Democrats See Opportunity in Changing Demographics." 2 July 2013. NPR. Web. 22 March 2014. Hasen, Richard. "Voter Suppression's New Pretext." the New York Times 16 November 2013: A- 19. Print. Lawrence, Regina. "Shifting Demographics in Texas Politics." 27 July 2013. News-Journal.com. Web. 22 March 2014. Lizza, Ryan. "The Party Next Time." 19 November 2012. The New Yorker. Web. 22 March 2014. "Texas Political Culture." 2009. Texas Politics. Web. 22 March 2014. Vespa, Matt. "Changing Demographics Threaten Republican Texas." 13 November 2012. Red State.com. Web. 22 March 2014.

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