Texas voters flipped a Democratic district red for the first time in 139 years with the election of political newcomer Pete Flores to the Texas Senate, which calls into question the supposed coming “blue wave” of Democratic midterm victories.
Flores, a retired game warden, defeated former state and U.S. Rep. Pete Gallego for the Senate District 19 seat after receiving key endorsements from political figures such as Texas Gov. Greg Abbott and Sen. Ted Cruz, according to My San Antonio.
Flores recognized his historic win in his victory speech.
“This district has not been Republican since Reconstruction. And in September of 2018, it’s Republican once again,” Flores said. “The work starts tomorrow.”
We did it!
Pete Flores 53%
Pete Gallego 47%Thank you to 23k+ #sd19 voters!
Thank you to everyone who helped, especially @GregAbbott_TX, @DanPatrick, @NRA, @TXRightToLife and so many more!#sd19 #txlege pic.twitter.com/XJLhvPMust
— Pete Flores (@PeteFlores_TX) September 19, 2018
Texas Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick also shared his joy after the win.
“Tonight, you all just made history,” Patrick told Republican voters. “For the first time in history, we have 21 Republican senators. For the first time in history, we have a Hispanic Republican senator.”
This doesn’t bode well for the supposed blue wave Democrats are talking about.
Some people, such as President Donald Trump, are even suggesting that a red wave might happen instead.
RED WAVE!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) August 8, 2018
However, liberals are still insistent that a blue wave is coming in November.
CNN political commentator Chris Cillizza claimed last week that “all signs point to a blue wave.”
The left’s confidence in a blue wave might be shaken by Flores’ historic win, with Texas being a key part of the Democrats’ midterm hopes.
The U.S. Senate race in Texas between Republican incumbent Sen. Ted Cruz and Democrat Beto O’Rourke is important for the success of the blue wave, according to Axios.
Axios also names Texas’ 23rd Congressional District race as a key blue wave battleground.
Unfortunately for Democrats, the historic win for Republicans in District 19 shows that the Texas GOP may be more energized than members of their party.
Even Christian Archer, the campaign strategist for Gallego, said he was shocked by the results, and added that they couldn’t generate as much excitement as the Republicans.
Of course, time will tell if the blue wave is really coming, but right now it looks more like a blue drought.
Via WesternJournal
