The GOP in the Texas House will pick up either one or two seats this week, giving them a 2/3 supermajority.
In what way are they picking up seats? Run-off, party switches?
What does a 2/3 majority bring?
It's basically a done deal.
http://trailblazersblog.dallasnews.com/archives/2010/12/will-republicans-claim-100th-s.htmlBasically, it means that the Republicans can do anything procedurally.
In cross-referencing threads, what happened is that any Democrat outside of the major metro areas in Texas (or South Texas) who was not uncontested got beat, as Republicans encouraged the rural voters to vote straight-party, and they did. You see, Democrats, prior to this election, still dominated local offices in all of these rural areas. They got completely wiped out. This has all Democrats left in these areas running scared (for obvious reasons).
Ritter's HD is 66% McCain. Pena's HD is 77% Obama, so me no understand that one. But the simple point, is that rural Texas Dems were eliminated, basically in one fell swoop, in this election. That's the "real" realignment that Al mentioned. Ritter is the last one in the Texas House.
The only other (sort of) one left is Eiland (McCain 53%), though that's really not rural district. And Gallego (McCain 51%), but that district is strange.