US Population Doubled while the Texas Population Tripled DecadeUS% GrowthTexas% Growth 1950’s ’s ’s ’s ’s ’s ’s

Population growth of the City and El Paso County DecadeCity of El Paso% Growth El Paso County % Growth 1950’s130, , ’s276, , ’s339, , ’s425, , ’s515, , ’s563, , ’s649,651800,674

Texas City Populations CityPopulationRank in the US Houston2.09 million 4 San Antonio1.32 million 7 Dallas1.19 million 8 El Paso 649,651 19

20 years ago, El Paso was the 4 th most populous city in Texas- it’s now 6 th The two cities that surpassed us- Austin- 790,390 Fort Worth- 741,206 We grew quickly, 15% during the 2000 decade, but not nearly at the rate as that part of the State from I-35 eastward.

Metropolitan area populations Metro AreaPopulationRank in the US% living in the city Dallas- Ft. Worth 6,371, Houston- Sugarland 5,946, San Antonio 2,142, El Paso 800,

2000 Population2010 Population Increase in Population % Increase Pop Share of Increase White10,933,313 11,397, ,0324.2%10.8% Hispanic or Latino6,669,666 9,460,921 2,791, %65.0% African American2,364,255 2,886, , %12.2% Asian554, , , %9.2% Non White Total 9,918,507 13,748,216 3,829, % 89.2% Texas Total20,851,820 25,145,561 4,293, %100.0% Texas Population Growth Source: 2010 U.S. Census

Racial/Ethnic Population of Major Cities in Texas CityPopulationAfrican American Native American Asian American Latino Austin790,39064, % 6, % 49, % 277, % Dallas1,197,816298,933 25% 8, % 34, % 507, % El Paso649,12122, % 4, % 7, % 523, % Fort Worth721,206140, % 4, % 24, % 252, % Houston2,099,541498, % 14, % 126,378 6% 919, % San Antonio1,327,40791, % 11, % 32, % 838, %

Some politics From the end of the civil war to the end of the 1970’s Texas was dominated by the Democrats. From the 1980’s to now- an evolution toward the GOP, primarily by Whites. The GOP now controls state government and is the jewel in the GOP’s national political crown. Most African Americans, Asian Americans and Latinos stayed with the Democrats. This strongly explains the next slide of statewide partisan support.

Partisan Strength

Partisanship in the 2012 Elections- Populous Counties Percent CountyRepublicanDemocrat HARRIS (Houston)49.3%49.4% DALLAS41.65%57.11% TARRANT (Ft. Worth)57.11%41.42% BEXAR (San Antonio)47%51.6% TRAVIS (Austin)36.2%60.14% COLLIN (Suburban Dallas)65%33.5% DENTON (Suburban Dallas)65%33.5% FT. BEND (Suburban Houston) 53%46% EL PASO33.1%65.5%

GOP’s Growth & Opportunity Project’s post- election analysis- ethnicity and race “…many minorities wrongly think that Republicans do not like them or want them in the country.” “We have become expert in how to provide ideological reinforcement to like-minded people, but devastatingly we have lost the ability to be persuasive with, or welcoming to, those who do not agree with us on every issue.” “If we want racial and ethnic minority voters to support Republicans, we have to engage them and show our sincerity.” “The key problem is that the Republican Party’s message offends too many people unnecessarily. We win the economic message, which is the most important to voters, but we then lose them when we discuss other issues.”

George W. Bush’s 1998 gubernatorial re-election Bush stated publically that he wanted to win in El Paso County. His strategy- many visits and campaign ads targeted at the voters, especially Latino voters. He got 50.01% of the vote. Student exit poll- 37% of Latinos surveyed voted for Bush. In he lost in EP county- 39.7% of all votes cast. Student exit poll- 25% of Latinos surveyed voted for Bush.

Political Participation Socio demographics Mobilization

The two most powerful socio demographic variables that predict the likelihood of participating Age- as age increases through the 60’s, the likelihood of participating increases. Median age in the US- 37 years Median age in Texas years Median age in El Paso years

The two most powerful socio demographic variables that predict the likelihood of participating Level of education- the higher the level of education attainment the greater the likelihood of participating. For those age 25 and over- the percent with no HS diploma US- 12.4% Texas- 19.6% El Paso- 25.4%

El Paso County voter turnout in Presidential elections YearRegistered Voters # of VotersVoter Turnout % % % % % % %