Texas Democrats roll out plan to win state House in November

Texas Democrats are unveiling a new strategy in the hope of taking control of the state House this November for the first time in nearly two decades.

The Texas Democratic Party (TDP) and Texas House Democratic Campaign Committee on Monday released a list of 22 state House seats they will target in November, with the ultimate goal of winning nine of the seats to regain control of the lower chamber.

The plan shows how Democrats in the state are hoping to build on the gains they made during the 2018 midterms.

Former Rep. Beto O’Rourke (D-Texas) came within three percentage points of unseating Sen. Ted Cruz (R) and in the process won nine state districts that are currently represented in the state House by GOP lawmakers. In another 13 state House districts, O’Rourke came within single digits of Cruz.

Democrats also picked up 12 state House seats in 2018, bringing them within striking distance for this election cycle.

One of these districts is Texas’s 28th, where O’Rourke hauled in over 48 percent of the vote. The 28th is part of Fort Bend County, which is home to Houston suburbs such as Sugar Land and Missouri City. Former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton won Fort Bend County in 2016 by seven points. It was the first time that a Democratic presidential candidate had carried the county since former President Lyndon B. Johnson did in 1964.



https://thehill.com/homenews/state-watch/480031-texas-democrats-roll-out-plan-to-win-state-house-in-november