Texas feeling blue or seeing red?

[pbrower2a]

Texas has something in common with Arizona and Georgia: that its suburbs are now very conservative politically. Barack Obama made huge strides in suburbs of most giant cities -- but not Phoenix, Atlanta, Dallas, Houston, or San Diego. It could be that those suburbs are comparatively new and have few young voters. It could also be that those suburbs reap the benefit of their comparative newness by having infrastructure in lesser need of costly renovations and repairs and that devour tax revenues. Contrast suburbs of Philadelphia that have been in existence for nearly 70 years.


In 2008 Texas went roughly 55-45 for John McCain, but voters under 30 went roughly 55-45 for Barack Obama in Texas. Such bodes ill for Republicans even in Texas. Voting patterns set early rarely change, except that people become more likely to vote as they get older. Note also that the voters for Obama are getting to the age in which they become participants in the political process as candidates.  Such candidates might successfully excite younger voters -- and few of them will be Tea Party types.

But get lots of young adults who have retail, food service, and cleaning jobs who have no obvious stake in right-wing economics... and things drift leftward.