Texas 'turned purple,' says Republican Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick after midterm losses
Patrick says Democrats won every statewide race in Texas, but he stops short of calling the state blue.
Outgoing Texas Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick, a Republican, said the state has turned purple after Democrats swept statewide races, flipped the governor's office, a U.S. Senate seat and the Texas House. He spoke on his podcast and said he would not call Texas a blue state yet.
Democrats won every statewide race in Texas, ending decades of Republican control. Patrick lost to Democrat Vikki Goodwin, Gov. Greg Abbott lost to Gina Hinojosa, and Ken Paxton lost a U.S. Senate race to James Talarico. Sen. Ted Cruz is now the only Republican holding statewide office in Texas.
Patrick said Republicans lost voters in the Rio Grande Valley and among young voters, and that independents swung away from the GOP. He and other Republican leaders blamed affordability concerns and the Iran war, which has raised fuel prices. Gas prices are about 83 cents per gallon higher than a year ago.
Key points
- Democrats won every statewide race in Texas.
- Patrick says Texas is purple, not blue.
- Gas prices are about 83 cents per gallon higher than a year ago.
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Summarized with AI from the sources above and reviewed before publishing.
