TEXAS!
Winning the Lone Star State is no longer a Democratic dream — and one race in particular just might determine which party winds up holding power on Capitol Hill.
In the magnificent new documentary about the ‘Miracle on Ice’ Gold medal-winning USA hockey team from 1980, there’s a quote that could easily apply to the upcoming November midterm elections. It comes from the star of the squad, Mark Johnson:
“We had been in big moments before, but nothing like this. The greatest joy about sports, though, is that eventually you have to play the game.”
Johnson was referring to the fact that the Americans were massive underdogs to beat the Russians. Even the broadcasters intimated they didn’t have a chance. Then they played the game.
For Democrats, Tuesday, November 3rd is going to be a very ‘big moment.’ But it will also be important to those Independent and Republican voters who may have supported the president in 2024 — but want to put a check on one-party rule. Making that choice is largely what midterm elections are all about.
Democrats need to pick up three seats in the House and four in the Senate to win both chambers. The latter will be the real uphill climb.
Texas is going to be a big piece of the midterm puzzle. In the 38 House seats that were redrawn by state Republicans last summer, analysts first estimated a potential gain of up to five GOP seats (their current advantage is 25-13). Indeed, the day that Governor Greg Abbott signed the gerrymandered map into law, he flaunted the achievement:
“Texas is now more red in the United States Congress.”
Maybe. Maybe not. Texas is showing signs of an electorate that is not only displeased — but motivated to reduce the red. And the Senate seat that’s up for grabs in November — which has long been the ‘Lucy’ to the Democratic football, may finally be within reach. Recent numbers threaten to tell a whole new tale down in the Lone Star.
