Texas

Opinion: Sorry haters, Texas isn’t turning blue in this election – or anytime soon

Published

1 year ago

November 3, 2024

Press Room

Opinion: Sorry haters, Texas isn’t turning blue in this election – or anytime soon

Polls show Republican Sen. Ted Cruz ahead by 4 to 5 percentage points. But political observers with experience in Texas think the race isn’t as close as portrayed.

Something about Texas makes Democrats believe it will turn blue every election, despite so much evidence to the contrary.

Maybe Texas is the object of progressives’ fantasies and frustrations because of all the heavy-hitting Republicans with oil money, the presence of so much old-fashioned cowboy masculinity and its booming economy, which is the eighth largest in the world.

Texas is so conservative that if the state were to turn blue someday, it would be a massive indicator that America is veering significantly leftward.

Sorry, liberals. It will not happen this year. And likely not any time soon.

Texas isn’t just a red state, it’s a beacon of conservative values. It’s that way because that’s how those of us who call Texas home want it to be. We live in a place that reflects our views, and our views are reflected where we live − a symbiotic circle with liberty at its core.

Trying to turn Texas blue is a futile exercise for Democrats. But it doesn’t seem to keep them from trying anyway.

Ted Cruz is cruising toward victory in Texas Senate race

Take the U.S. Senate race between incumbent Republican Ted Cruz and Dallas Democratic Rep. Colin Allred.

Texas-based publications and national news outlets have been quick to observe how tight the Allred vs. Cruz Senate race has appeared to be in this election cycle.

I wrote about it in September, and it was tighter then than I expected.

Allred boasts some great qualities: He’s personable and has worked hard to look like a moderate Democrat in a red state. (That’s the only way he could get elected in Texas.)

It’s a formula that’s been tried before, as anyone who has observed the failed political career of Beto O’Rourke knows.

With a few years on the El Paso City Council and then in the U.S. House of Representative under his belt, O’Rourke, known in Texas simply as “Beto,” ran for the Senate against Cruz in 2018 and lost by about 2.6 percentage points. Undeterred, he ran again against Gov. Greg Abbott in 2022 and lost handily, by more than 10 points.

Texas Democrats hope Allred can do what O’Rourke could not do: Finally secure a Senate seat to represent liberals, the majority of whom reside in the Lone Star state’s urban areas.

But a Democrat hasn’t won statewide office in Texas in 30 years. That’s back when Bill Clinton was still in the White House and movie fans flocked to Blockbuster (look it up, Gen Z) on Friday nights.

For Democrats, O’Rourke’s losses were mystifying. He was charismatic and enthusiastically backed by Hollywood and the national media. But he ultimately failed for the same reason Allred will likely fail.

Allred, like O’Rourke, just doesn’t represent the views of most Texans.

Cruz better represents Texans

Allred has presented himself as a bipartisan moderate to gain traction in Texas, but it’s a ruse. He’s more aligned with the progressive views of Vice President Kamala Harris than it appears at first glance.

While in Congress, Allred has shown himself to be a typical liberal who votes for measures that increase government spending and expand its reach into our lives, like the Inflation Reduction Act and the $2 trillion Build Back Better Act.

Cruz may not come across as likable as Allred or O’Rourke. He can be both nerdy and brash. He reminds me of that kid in class who tells the teacher she forgot to assign homework.

Cruz seems the most human when other conservatives interview him, an understandable trait given the media’s obvious scorn. But that also means many people don’t see a side of him that’s relatable and relaxed.

Cruz is an easy target for the mainstream media to skewer, as is often the case with conservative politicians. But none of that means he has done a poor job or has failed to represent his constituents. At 45%, his approval rating is 5 points higher than his disapproval rating heading into Tuesday.

Cruz favors policies that lower taxes for Texas residents, improve local businesses and boost military contracts for Texas companies.

Even the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, which endorsed Allred in his 2020 and 2022 House races, now endorses Cruz.

Polls show Cruz ahead by 4 to 5 percentage points. But political observers with experience in Texas say the race isn’t as close as portrayed.

Brendan Steinhauser, an Austin-based political consultant, told me: ” I think he is going to overperform the polling, and beat Colin Allred by a wider margin than many people expect.”

Texas is the American dream

I interviewed Gov. Abbott a few weeks ago and asked him about the Cruz vs. Allred race and if Texas is turning blue after all. He chalked up Allred’s initial momentum to his head start running advertising campaigns well before Cruz.

“So there is a political and ideological shift in the state of Texas, but it’s different than what people think,” Abbott said. “Republicans in Texas are picking up larger swaths of the Hispanic vote. We’re converting people to the Republican side that historically has been Democrat.”

For a lot of Texans, our state is the epitome of the American dream: Here, we live life on our own terms, and liberty is the pursuit with happiness the result.

It’s not just Texas’ natural beauty and resources that make it incredible. It’s also the conservative ideas reflected in our state and local governments that allow its best attributes to shine. It’s not perfect, of course, and the lawmakers here aren’t without flaws. Even so, the emphasis on freedom comes from core conservative principles.

That’s why it will not turn blue any time soon.

Texas isn’t great in spite of its conservatism, but because of it.

Nicole Russell is an opinion columnist with USA TODAY. She lives in Texas with her four kids. Sign up for her newsletter, The Right Track, and get it delivered to your inbox.

Source link

Click to comment

Texas

All is calm at the Texas Capitol, at least at holiday ornament time

Published

2 hours ago

December 17, 2025

Press Room

All is calm at the Texas Capitol, at least at holiday ornament time

AUSTIN — In a state where political fights rarely take a holiday, one small tradition offers a respite, wrapped in gold, glitter and goodwill.

Hanging from the boughs of Christmas trees across Texas, annual ornaments featuring the Texas State Capitol capture the beauty of the season and the history of the state, without the bluster and bile that typically characterize life under the pink dome.

Rep. Rafael Anchía, D-Dallas, has one on his tree for each year he’s served in the Legislature, where he was first sworn in a few weeks after Christmas in January 2005. Each season, he buys roughly 30 more to give away, a tradition he says transcends party labels.

“They are amazing. It’s the ideal Christmas gift,” he said, making his best holiday sales pitch. “A surefire way to please constituents and mothers-in-laws across the political spectrum.”

Nelda Laney, wife of then-House Speaker Pete Laney, launched the ornament tradition in 1996 with designs created by the Texas State Preservation Board, the steward of the Capitol and other historic state buildings.

Now, the board’s retail team spends at least two-thirds of the year overseeing the annual design, according to the Texas Capitol Gift Shop website. The board runs three shops: one in the underground Capitol extension, one in the Bob Bullock Museum of Texas History and one in the Capitol Visitors’ Center on the south side of the grounds.

The 2025 Texas State Capitol Christmas ornament features a design that’s a throwback to the original design from 1996.

Texas State Capitol Gift Shop

Over the years, the team has produced dozens of iconic ornaments, made of metal or granite, in flat relief or 3D, some lit up, some mobile. The final designs range from shiny metal locomotives to intricately designed granite miniatures of the entire building.

The 2025 design — a view of the Capitol as seen from Congress Avenue in downtown Austin — is a throwback to the inaugural “First Edition” design in 1996, if modernized a bit.

The ornament shows the Capitol’s entire south face, decorated with holiday wreaths and Yaupon Holly swags wrapped around its columns, the board’s description says. The six flags that have flown over Texas appear on the south pediment, with both the Texas and U.S. flags flying above the entrance. The 1889 Great Walk, paved in a black-and-white checkerboard pattern, is flanked by a grand allée of trees, leading visitors inside.

Texas Capitol ornaments through the years

It’s one of dozens of designs that, over the years, have turned the Capitol ornament into a recognizable Lone Star collectible.

A wee statue of the Goddess of Liberty spinning inside golden rings covered in stars debuted in 2006. Three years later, it was black and gold, rectangular — the shape and feel of a tapestry — regarded as one of the more unique designs in the collection. Another from that era used a colorful disc depicting the six flags over Texas. The ornaments start at $25. The current design is fairly typical: Finished in 24-karat gold and 3.5 inches by 3.4 inches.

Older ornaments can be purchased in sets of miniatures. They are available online through the board. The money goes to the preservation board, a taxpayer-funded state agency that releases a new specialty Texas-themed ornament every year.

The ornament release has become a ritual for many, from Capitol employees to repeat customers who buy the ornament every year as gifts.

“A lot of people will come in and buy six because they give one to each family member every year,” said Lisa Gentry, shop manager. “Sometimes they buy the year of their child’s birth. There’s a lot who have a Texas tree, which is only the Texas ornaments that they’ve shopped for in our stores.”

Lawmakers as designers

Rep. Jessica González, D-Dallas, has the entire miniature collection and several annual ornaments from her four terms in office. Her favorite ornaments, she said, are the ones lawmakers design each Christmas to reflect their home districts. Those hang on the Texas House Christmas tree each season and aren’t for sale.

This year, she had two designed by Jesse Acosta and Alejandra Zendejas, co-founders of Pasos for Oak Cliff, a Dallas nonprofit that provides sneakers and other support services to underserved students.

“It’s a small but meaningful way to showcase the flavor of our community… a reminder that every district has its own voice,” González said.

On the consumer side, on a random Thursday two weeks before Christmas, the Capitol gift shop — next door to the building’s popular Capitol Grill — sold more than 300 of the shiny 2025 Texas Capitol keepsakes.

That one design. In one day. In just that one shop.

“People really love them,” Gentry said the following day, as more than 100 flew off her shelves before noon. “Today it’s been nonstop.”

All the trimmings of the 2025 Texas Capitol ornament

Design: South-facing view of the Capitol from Congress Avenue
Finish: 24-karat gold
Size: About 3.5 inches by 3.4 inches
Price: Starts at $25

Where they’re sold

Capitol gift shop (underground extension)
Bob Bullock Museum of Texas History
Capitol Visitors’ Center
Online through the Preservation Board

Where the money goes

Proceeds support the Texas State Preservation Board, a taxpayer-funded agency that maintains the Capitol and other historic buildings.

Source link

Texas

Texas A&M is reportedly close to hiring its new defensive staffer

Published

14 hours ago

December 16, 2025

Press Room

Texas A&M is reportedly close to hiring its new defensive staffer

The staff shake-up continues amid CFP preparation, as Texas A&M head coach Mike Elko is reportedly adding another to his staff.

Soon after the news that the Aggies were expecting to hire former Arkansas defensive coordinator Travis Williams, Matt Zenitz of 247Sports reported that former Rutgers co-defensive coordinator and linebackers coach Zach Sparber would be added to the staff in some capacity. Sparber is very familiar with new Texas A&M DC Lyle Hemphill, having worked with him at JMU and Duke.

It is an interesting hire, as similar to Travis Williams, Sparber is also coming off a defensive staff that was let go after bottom-of-the-conference defensive performances. However, before joining the staff at Rutgers, he helped James Madison’s team rank 21st nationally in scoring defense as the linebackers coach. While his official role has not yet been announced, his experience with Hemphill should help with continuity heading into next season.

No. 7-seed Texas A&M hosts the No. 10 Miami Hurricanes (10-2) in a CFP first-round game at 11 a.m. on Saturday, Dec. 20, at Kyle Field. The game can be viewed on ABC/ESPN.

Contact/Follow us @AggiesWire on X and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Texas A&M news, notes, and opinions. Follow Jarrett Johnson on X: @whosnextsports1.

Source link

Texas

How to get tickets for #7 Texas A&M vs. #10 Miami in College Playoff 1st round

Published

1 day ago

December 16, 2025

Press Room

How to get tickets for #7 Texas A&M vs. #10 Miami in College Playoff 1st round

If you purchase a product through a link on our site, we may receive compensation.

The 10th-ranked Miami Hurricanes hit the road for College Station for a Saturday afternoon matchup against the No. 7 Texas A&M Aggies in the first round of the College Football Playoff. The game is scheduled for noon ET (11 a.m. CT) with tickets still available to watch live.

How to get Texas A&M vs. Miami tickets for the best prices: Tickets for the Texas A&M vs. Miami playoff game are available on secondary markets Vivid Seats, StubHub, SeatGeek and Viagogo.

The lowest prices are as follows (as of Dec. 15):

Vivid Seats starting at $375
StubHub starting at $388
SeatGeek starting at $315
Viagogo starting at $345

The Aggies own the homefield advantage and are listed as 3.5-point betting favorites to play their way into the second round. Texas A&M won its first 11 straight games of the 2025 season before falling to rival No. 16 Texas (27-17) in its regular-season finale. The Aggies were battle-tested in going 7-1 in a Southeastern Conference that put five teams into the College Football Playoff field. They also join Miami as teams to beat Notre Dame this season, winning a 41-40 shootout back in Week 3.

#10 Miami (10-2) at #7 Texas A&M (11-1)

College Football Playoff 1st round

When: Saturday, Dec. 20 at noon ET (11 a.m. CT)
Where: Kyle Field, College Station, Texas
Tickets: Vivid Seats | StubHub | SeatGeek | Viagogo
TV channel: ABC/ESPN
Streaming on: FuboTV (free trial) | DirecTV (free trial) | SlingTV (low intro rate)

The Hurricanes’ 27-24 win over then-No. 6 Notre Dame was the best line entry on the team’s résumé as the third-place finisher in the messy Atlantic Coast Conference. Miami rattled off four straight wins to close the season and showed the kind of explosive scoring offense required to stack up with Texas A&M, scoring 34-plus points in each of those four wins. The Canes closed the season with a 38-7 blowout win over then-No. 23 Pitt to strengthen their CFP case.

Source link