Texas. Why?

[Adlai Stevenson]

I guess I already know the answer to this question but why is Texas so Republican on almost every level?  This election cycle, no one can say that the Democrats will win any offices.  Their gubernatorial candidate could end up with less than 20% of the vote; the Senatorial candidate will almost certainly not get over 40% and could get less than 30%.  Apart from this, I just wonder why even in competetive races like the 2002 Senate race, the Republican won 55%-43%.  I vaguely think that after 1994 the Republicans established complete one-party control of the state, and I realise that the 2002 redistricting made the Congressional delegation more Republican.  But even so, why is it there are no competetive Democrats at all?  I mean when is the next chance the party could win the Governorship or a Senate seat?  In every other Southern State, some more Republican than Texas, the Democrats are competetive: i.e., they hold a Senate seat, a Governorship, a Congressional majority or a few statewide offices.  What happened in Texas that made it so difficult for the Dems?  It seems like every electable Democrat became a member of the GOP since about the 1970s to 1990s.  Could someone just explain the whole reason for why Texas is so out of reach for the Democrats?