Trump's Slim Lead in Texas Is a Big Worry for Republicans

Democrats haven't won the state in 40 years
By John Johnson,  Newser Staff
Posted Oct 27, 2016 8:50 AM CDT
Trump's Slim Lead in Texas Is a Big Worry for Republicans
Erika Jaramillo, center, and others hold signs supporting Hillary Clinton during a Democratic National Convention watch party in San Antonio in July.   (AP Photo/Eric Gay)

Could Texas turn blue? The state hasn't gone for a Democratic president since Jimmy Carter, but lots of political stories are taking note of Donald Trump's slim lead in the polls over Hillary Clinton. The gist of most: Trump is still expected to win, but it's going to be close. Some coverage:

  • Trump is up by just 3 points in the latest poll from the University of Texas and the Texas Tribune. The breakdown is here.
  • One of his biggest problems this year in the state? Suburban Republican women. NPR takes a look.
  • Another Trump problem? Latino voters. "Trump’s potential effect on Hispanic turnout is at the heart of Republican worries," observes Politico.

  • A story at CNN may cheer Republicans looking at the big picture. It suggests the closeness is a "one-time phenomenon" that can be blamed on Trump's alienation of large swaths of voters.
  • And a lengthy assessment from the Texas Politics Project crunches a slew of factors to conclude: "There is good reason to believe that polling is finding Texas leaning Republican rather than the solid Republican state it has been in presidential elections for most of the last three decades. But the change in its tilt doesn’t necessarily mean it’s ready to fall the other direction without still more shaking at the foundations.”
  • The New York Times sums up: Yes, "there is widespread disenchantment with Mr. Trump among Texas Republicans, but Mrs. Clinton remains unpopular in parts of the state. She is seen as an establishment politician and regarded as an anti-gun abortion rights supporter in an anti-establishment, anti-abortion and pro-gun state. And she is tied to President Obama, who lost Texas in 2012 by nearly 1.3 million votes."
  • Last month, the Dallas Morning News endorsed Clinton, its first Democratic pick in 75 years. Story here.
(More Texas stories.)

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