History of Texas Political Parties GOVT 2306, Module 5

Solid South The Civil War and Reconstruction produced the one-party Democratic South, which lasted from the end of Reconstruction until the 1970s.

What are red states? What are green states? What about the tan areas? 1884 Election Are the electoral votes for each state in 1884 similar to the Electoral College votes today? What are red states? What are green states? What about the tan areas?

McKinley because the red states are much more populous. 1896 Election McKinley because the red states are much more populous. Who do you think won—Rep. William McKinley or Dem. William Jennings Bryan?

The Exception of the 1928 Election In 1928, Herbert Hoover became the first Republican presidential candidate ever to carry Texas. The next would be Eisenhower in 1952. Why did Texas vote for Hoover?

1928 Election Candidates Herbert Hoover Al Smith Al Smith was Catholic.

Anti-Catholic Prejudice Many Protestants, especially in the South, believed Catholics were trying to take over the country. When did anti-Catholic prejudice again appear in presidential politics? Kennedy in 1960. Is religious prejudice still part of presidential politics?

Modern Expressions of Prejudice Would you expect more Americans to say they would NOT vote for someone for president who was . . . Catholic? Woman? Jewish? Black?

“Would you vote for a Catholic candidate?”

“Would you vote for a woman candidate?”

“Would you vote for a Jewish candidate?”

“Would you vote for a Black candidate?”

Yellow Dog Democrats For decades, the most common political animal in the Lone Star State was the Yellow Dog Democrat, a loyal Democratic voter. In 1957, for example, every member of the Texas legislature was a Democrat.

Conservative Democrats Large landowners and industrialists controlled the Texas Democratic Party of the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries.

Party Factions By the 1930s, an identifiable liberal faction had emerged to challenge conservative dominance of the Democratic Party. Low-income whites, blacks, and Latinos backed the liberal wing of the party. Liberal Democrat Ralph Yarborough served in the U.S. Senate from 1957 to 1971.

Republican John Tower served in the U.S. Senate from 1961-1985. Texas Republicans The Texas Republican Party began to revive with the Eisenhower candidacy in the 1950s. By the end of the 1970s, it was starting to compete in state elections. Republican John Tower served in the U.S. Senate from 1961-1985.

Quiz The answer is C. What’s a yellow dog Democrat? A Democrat who often deserts his or her party to vote Republican. A Republican who often votes Democratic in state races while backing Republicans in national races. A loyal Democratic voter. A Democratic voter who often fails to show up at the polls. The answer is C.

Why Republican Resurgence? Civil War memories fade. Many conservative white Democrats became disenchanted with what they saw as an increasingly liberal national Democratic Party. White collar workers from outside the South migrated to Texas.

Why Liberal Democratic Emergence? Barriers to voting participation of low-income people, Latinos, and African Americans begin to fall. Some conservative Democrats abandon the party in favor of the Republican Party.

1978 is Watershed Election Year for Dems Liberal Democrat John Hill defeated incumbent Governor Dolph Briscoe in the Democratic primary. The election demonstrated that liberal Democrats were at last competitive with conservative Democrats in statewide races. John Hill

1978 is Breakthrough Year for Republicans In a huge upset, Republican Bill Clements, a wealthy Dallas oilman, defeated John Hill for governor, becoming the first GOP governor since E. J. Davis. Many conservative Democrats who backed Briscoe in the Democratic primary voted for Clements in the general election. Bill Clements

Texas Politics Is Three-Way Fight From 1978 though 1992, Texas politics divided into three identifiable groups of nearly equal strength— conservative Democrats, liberal Democrats, and Republicans.

Back and Forth 1982 conservative Democrat Mark White defeats Clements for governor 1986 Clements beats White 1990 Liberal Democrat Ann Richards defeats Republican Clayton Williams 1994 Republican George W. Bush beats Richards

Presidential Republicanism From 1980 through the early 1990s, Texas experienced what many scholars called presidential Republicanism, the tendency of conservative white voters to cast their ballots for Republican presidential candidates while voting for Democrats for state and local offices. Beginning with Ronald Reagan in 1980, Republican candidates have won every presidential vote in the state of Texas.

Republican Majority after 1994 George W. Bush defeated Gov. Ann Richards in 1994. Richards was the last Democratic governor of Texas.

What We Have Learned What was the Solid South? Why did it develop and persist for nearly a century? Why did liberal Democrats emerge to challenge conservative Democratic dominance of state politics? What factors led to the revival of the Texas Republican Party as an important political force? Why was the 1978 election a watershed in Texas political history? What was presidential Republicanism? What was the political significance of the 1994 governor’s race?