As South Texas flips solid blue, Project Red gains historic GOP wins
asserted
Red → flip → wins
Project Red was founded in 2018 to help recruit Republicans to office in south Texas when few Republicans were elected locally.
asserted
Republicans → found → Texas
On Election Day, the entire region of south Texas turned blue, including all border counties.
asserted
region → turn → counties
Gains Republicans had made over the last two elections were wiped out after voters in the region, many of whom are Hispanic, rejected Trump administration policies and voted against Republicans.
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many → make → Republicans
Prior to the election, polls showed South Texas voters were primarily upset with President Donald Trump’s economic policies, soured on his endorsed candidates they previously voted for, and many Republicans said they were voting for Democrats, The Center Square reported.
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Square → show → Democrats
On Election Day, south Texas voters flipped two Republican congressional seats.
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voters → flip → seats
Now, all congressional seats at the border are held by Democrats.
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seats → hold → Democrats
They also elected Democrats to every statewide office by large margins, from the governor to attorney general to secretaries of state agencies.
asserted
They → elect → agencies
“What happened in south Texas in border communities and statewide was President Donald Trump,” Wayne Hamilton, the former executive director of the Republican Party of Texas and Project Red Director, told The Center Square.
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Hamilton → happen → Square
There were also Republican leadership failures in the state, which impacted south Texas, he said.
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he → be → Texas
Despite this, Project Red achieved several wins.
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Red → achieve → wins
Project Red was founded in 2018 to help recruit Republicans to office in south Texas when few Republicans Ed were elected locally or even filed to run for office.
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Ed → found → office
Since then, Project Red has been successful flipping dozens of county-level offices from Democrat to Republican.
asserted
Red → flip → Republican
By 2023, at the height of the border crisis during the Biden administration, Democratic officials were switching parties, including in south Texas, The Center Square reported.
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Square → switch → Texas
In 2024, polls showed that Hispanic voters, especially in south Texas and in border communities, supported border security enhancement, building a wall deportations, and opposed Biden administration transgender policies, The Center Square reported.
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Square → show → policies
Under the second Trump administration, deportations were overshadowed by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement shootings and businesses losing employees, making it the second most important issue to voters in south Texas.
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it → overshadow → Texas
The top issue was the economy and affordability, especially among Hispanic voters, according to multiple polls, The Center Square reported.
uncertain
Square → accord → polls
In addition to these issues, voters didn’t have strong candidates to support, Hamilton said.
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Hamilton → have → candidates
At a statewide level, the Republican Party of Texas “didn’t field the best candidates,” he told The Center Square.
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he → field → Square
“When you have those combinations, that created a problem.
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that → have → problem
Voters also didn’t understand the redistricting issues and Republicans looked really bad.
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Republicans → understand → issues
Then you add high costs, including the high cost of gas, and that devastated people.
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that → add → people
High gas prices devastate poor people.
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prices → devastate → people
“You wrap all of that together and voters had enough.
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voters → wrap → enough
What happened on Election Day in Texas was all emotion.
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happened → happen → Texas
Hamilton was the longest serving executive director of the Republican Party of Texas, from 1997-2023.
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Hamilton → serve → 1997
Under his tenure, more than 650 local offices were flipped Republican statewide.
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offices → flip → tenure
When he helped lead the party, it disposed of its debt, created a working coalition of businesses, tort reformers and conservatives, he said.
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he → lead → businesses
Hamilton helped make history when Republicans won control of the Texas House for the first time in state history in 2003.
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Republicans → help → 2003
This was after Republicans gained control of the Texas Senate for the first time in state history in 1997.
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Republicans → gain → 1997
The Texas legislature was controlled by Democrats since Texas became a state in 1846, during and after Reconstruction.
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Texas → control → Reconstruction
Hamilton worked for one of them, former Gov. Rick Perry, the third Republican governor of Texas.
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Hamilton → work → Texas
Texas’ fifth Republican governor, Greg Abbott, was defeated by Democrat Gina Hinojosa last week.
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governor → defeat → Hinojosa
Hinojosa, from the Rio Grande Valley, is the first Hispanic female and third female elected governor in state history.
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Hinojosa → elect → history
In the Rio Grande Valley and border communities, Republicans made gains in local races because Project Red focused on corruption and taxes, Hamilton said.
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Hamilton → make → corruption
“We divorced ourselves from state and federal issues and focused on local issues,” he told The Center Square.
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he → divorce → Square
“Anyone who knows anything about south Texas and the border region knows that virtually every county increases their property taxes every year.
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county → know → taxes
They do this every year, and these residents are very poor people.
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residents → do → this
You throw on top of that $6 a gallon diesel and $3.60 gallon of gas and people had enough.
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people → throw → enough
We were able to translate that into a victory for Republicans challenging Democrat incumbents.
asserted
We → translate → incumbents
…and 7 more, not listed.
The Aporia
