Parties gear up for battle over Texas state House
Texas is headed for a high-stakes battle over control of its state House, with the party that prevails getting a once-in-a-decade chance to help redraw congressional districts.
Democrats have made inroads in Texas in recent years, flipping 12 state House seats in 2018, the same year former Rep. Beto O’Rourke (D) came within three points of defeating Sen. Ted Cruz (R) in his Senate race.
Their recent successes were aided by demographic changes as an influx of outsiders from liberal states moved into urban and suburban centers, while Texas has also seen a mushrooming number of residents of color.
The battle for the state House comes in the midst of a presidential election year where both sides are expected to fight aggressively for Texas as part of a group of red states being put into play by Democrats. Former Vice President Joe Biden’s campaign last week said it views Texas, Arizona and Georgia as battleground states they intend to contest and win.
Winning the state House would provide Democrats with a leading role in shaping redistricting as the once-in-a-decade census gets underway. Republicans have held the state House since 2002 and Democrats must flip a net 9 seats to gain a majority.
https://thehill.com/homenews/campaign/499025-parties-gear-up-for-battle-over-texas-state-house
