All doubt that Texas is deep red was put to bed last night, as Republicans up and down the ballot won big. The victories mean more conservative policies both here and in Washington, as Texan politicians, donors and influencers help usher in a second Trump administration.
GOP voters across the state turned out in droves, narrowing or even reversing Democrat鈥檚 gains from previous years. The results? A , a third term for and bigger than normal wins for GOP judicial candidates and .
鈥淭exas is not getting more blue, it鈥檚 getting more red,鈥� said Craig Goldman, the former chairman of the Texas House GOP Caucus who won a seat in Congress on Tuesday night.
, the state鈥檚 Republican agriculture commissioner, said Democrats鈥� hopes that Texas is becoming more competitive have been dashed.
鈥淭hat鈥檚 going to put that rumor to rest for a while,鈥� said Miller, one of a few Texans who may be tapped for a cabinet position in the coming months. 鈥淭he last few elections have been closer than I thought they would be. But this one was a flat runaway, so I think we鈥檙e in good shape for at least a couple more election cycles.鈥�
Turnout for the former president helped Texas Republicans win big on Election Night. How might they return the favor, and how will the Trump effect shape lawmaking here in Texas?
Mr. Miller Goes to Washington?
that he may be tapped to lead the U.S. Department of Agriculture, or USDA, under Trump. But he isn鈥檛 the only Texan whose name is being floated.
When asked for names, Miller pointed to . The two men were on Election Day.
A top Trump ally in Texas, for the U.S. Department of Justice. Landing a job there could help him professionally 鈥� and legally. for alleged corruption. It鈥檚 an open question whether the probe will continue under Trump.
Miller also mentioned the return of , who served as Trump鈥檚 director of national intelligence.
Current and former leaders at the , a conservative think tank based in Austin, will also likely have Trump鈥檚 ear when he retakes the White House. This includes , who as president of the Heritage Foundation helped shape Project 2025, and the .
And who can forget ? The Tesla CEO, who has moved more and more of his businesses to Texas, in the final weeks. He will undoubtedly have a voice on business policy 鈥� .
Border and immigration
Hopes among Democrats that they could pick up a few spots in the state Legislature were unrealized. In fact, in the Texas House and Senate, moving the chambers even further to the right.
Gilberto Hinojosa, the chairman of the Texas Democratic Party, said Trump turned out GOP voters across the state. He also blamed a funding imbalance, saying they were outspent 鈥�100-to-1鈥� by billionaire Republicans.
The losses could affect policymaking here at home, where Hinojosa said Democrats lost on issues like immigration and LGBTQ rights.
Trump has promised to institute mass deportations as well as curtail legal immigration when he鈥檚 back in power. This message resonated with voters of all backgrounds, Hinojosa said.
For example, and several others in South Texas 鈥� some by double digits.
鈥淲hy do you think that Trump did so well with Hispanics? Because Hispanics live on the border,鈥� Hinojosa said. 鈥淲e're talking about thousands of people crossing into the United States, and the government [under Joe Biden] is perceived not to be able to do anything to solve it.鈥�
Goldman, the former GOP Caucus chair, said he hopes a federal government under Trump control will take more ownership over immigration policy.
This could mean the state of Texas 鈥� which during the Biden administration 鈥� spends less on border security. This is especially true because the to spend when lawmakers meet for the 2025 session.
Republicans flipped the U.S. Senate on Tuesday night; control of the U.S. House of Representatives is still in question.
鈥淢y hope is that, obviously, that we maintain the majority in U.S. Congress and we can fast-track money spent back to the state of Texas for border security,鈥� said Goldman, who won the North Texas congressional seat to replace .
Transgender rights
Hinojosa also pointed to , which he said hurt Democrats at the polls. He brought up the Hyde Amendment, which has banned federal funds from being used for most abortions for nearly 50 years.
鈥淲e can say, 鈥極kay, we respect people's right to say we don't want my taxpayer money to be used for that, and at the same time support transgender rights,鈥� he said. "I'm not saying that we need to take that position right now. But when those votes happen, we need to recognize that there are going to be long term political consequences when we do that."
Texas legislators have already passed several laws , including curbing in high school and college sports.
Trump has promised to take these policies to the federal level, adding that he would also ask Congress to designate that two genders may be recognized at birth. Texas Republicans who鈥檝e vocally opposed LGBTQ rights, , may help him shape these policies.
Hinojosa said Democrats in Texas must acknowledge their messaging on some issues is not landing.
鈥淵ou have a choice as a party," he said. "You could, for example, you can support transgender rights up and down all the categories where the issue comes up, or you can understand that there's certain things that we just go too far on, that a big bulk of our population does not support."
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