Texas’s Republican establishment thought it was unshakeable. The blue tsunami that recently swept across the state proved the opposite. The wave culminated with Republicans washed out on the floor of the Capitol, having lost both the governorship and a Senate seat. For Texas Democrats, the ask was plain: Don’t boo, vote. They listened.
Pundits did their fair share of speculating about Texas’s tidal turn in advance of the elections. I drew my own conclusions about both parties’ campaign strategies in an earlier think piece. But with all the guesswork about why Texas might go blue, we forgot about a key advantage the state’s Democratic nominees had on their side: youth.
At the conclusion of his “Clear Eyes, Full Hearts” tour, Democratic Senate nominee James Talarico shared a photograph with Democratic gubernatorial nominee Gina Hinojosa. Their hands are locked, raised in the air, as if they had already seen victory on the horizon. Wide grins spread across their faces. They look radiant. They look young.
At 52 and 37, respectively, Hinojosa and Talarico are far less aged than their Republican counterparts, who stand at 68 and 63, respectively. Both Gov. Greg Abbott (R-TX) and Republican Senate nominee Ken Paxton are political veterans. Abbott assumed the governor’s office in 2015, following his 13-year tenure as state attorney general. Over the past two decades, Paxton, whose career is speckled with controversy, served as Texas attorney general, a state senator, and a state representative. Both men were instrumental in bringing Texas to its current state. They are easy to blame for its visible ills. They suffered from familiarity.
Hinojosa’s rise to prominence was much more recent. She was elected to the Texas House in 2016, following just a few years on the Austin school board. Talarico became a member of the state House in 2018. He was only 29 years old. If Texas Republicans thought these factors would be drawbacks, they were wrong. Both Hinojosa and Talarico seemingly benefited from their relative newness.
When asked, nearly 70% of Texas voters aged 18-29 said they planned to vote for Talarico. A majority of people aged 30-44 said the same. In a similar vein, Hinojosa led with voters aged 18-34. The median age in Texas is 36.2, according to data from the Census Bureau. Hinojosa and Talarico represent this demographic much more closely than Abbott and Paxton, whose average age is 65.5.
Republicans underestimate the power of a fresh face. Among other factors, youth has propelled Democrats to positions of power across the nation. From then-Sen. Barack Obama’s triumph over John McCain in 2008, to Zohran Mamdani’s faceoff with former New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo and Curtis Sliwa in last year’s New York City mayoral election, political youngsters appear to have an allure Republicans have long dismissed as inconsequential.
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At best, age denotes wisdom. At worst, it indicates decrepitude. The latter is deadly in today’s political arena. The creases in Texas’s Republican establishment run deep. Texas voters were hungry for hope, vision, and ultimately, change. They made that desire known at the ballot box.
Abbott’s and Paxton’s defeats may be summarized in four short words: out with the old. Texans fell for the underdogs, choosing Hinojosa’s and Talarico’s energy, tenacity, and youth. Voters took them at face value. Maybe there is a lesson here.
Abigail Ingram is a communications associate for the Civitas Institute at the University of Texas at Austin.
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[ H/T Washington Examiner ]
