Introduction
For decades now, Texas has been reliably a red, conservative state. However, in recent years, the state is showing significant demographic changes. Trends have shown that historically the people moving to Texas are from a democrat voting state. Texas’ economy looks to be a major driving factor of migration into the state. As Texas continues to remain a red state, there is a concern for the state turning purple then blue.
Discussion
Stark contrasts exist between California and Texas’ economies. “New residents coming from California could pose a long-term threat to Texas’ winning formula of low taxes, mild regulation, and limited government spending.” (Lee and Alm,). Lee and Alm, characterize the current state of California’s economy as “high taxes, but not high enough to prevent large and persistent budget deficits that result from the state’s exorbitant government spending”.
Low taxes in Texas contribute to monetary freedom, while California takes in more money to supply government supported programs for the public, and this difference creates the stark contrast presented in the beginning of the paragraph. These governmental financial ideologies contribute to different financial situations for citizens making equal incomes in the two states and seeing the difference in financial situations can lead a citizen to want to leave a state that takes more money out of your paycheck for a state that takes less money from your paycheck.
Texans are notoriously proud of their state. Lee and Alm quote, “Bragging about their economy, Texans often point to the waves of newcomers moving into their state. Between 2004 and 2010, net migration from California to Texas totaled about 185,000 people over a quarter of the Lone Star State’s overall gain.” (Lee and Alm) Democrats are hopeful that Texas will turn to purple temporarily then blue permanently. Westly states, “The irony is that many Californians are relocating to Texas metropolitan areas at a high rate and large cities in those areas have gone from Republican to Democrat and remain Democrat strongholds.” (Westly) While Texans are notoriously proud of their state, native Texans grow increasingly wary that their historically red state will grow bluer as migration continues at a high pace. The fear is that a growth in democrats in the state can increase taxes, and potentially decrease individual citizens financial freedoms.
Government spending is always a touchy subject, especially in Texas. Native Texans know that people migrating from California are bringing their political beliefs with them. Political beliefs often but not always align with financial beliefs. In addition to California being one of the top ten states with the highest taxes, the residents believe moving to Texas will make for a better life. California has been characterized as a “failed state.” Texas Republicans worry that just that and the recent demographic change will degrade the state of Texas. The information presented above is useful to determine how a shift from red to blue could impact Texas citizens.
Meanwhile, the migration of people was primarily caused by the Covid-19 wave because West Coast residents decided to move to more affordable cities such as Dallas. Consequently, this had a significant impact on political attitudes, which provided additional votes for Democrats. At the same time, Democrats have always relied on the support of blacks, Hispanics, and other migrants, especially since Trump won the election (DeVore para 4). Accordingly, when the U.S. population is migrating, especially during the Covid-19 period, representatives of these lesser populations also arrive in Texas and usually vote for the Democratic Party.
It is essential to mention that the popularity of Texas as a business center has recently been increasing. The results of a study by the Texas Real Estate Research Center also indicate an increase in migration from California (DeVore para 7). Although, this study shows another reason for the change in people’s place of residence. Thus, the findings indicate that large California companies such as Charles Schwab, Tesla, and Oracl are moving their headquarters to Texas. Accordingly, this expansion of the business environment suggests that there is a constant migration of employees of these companies to Texas, the state where their workplace is located (DeVore para 8). Moreover, it indicates that the population of Texas is expanding rapidly, and their political views are no longer homogeneous.
Furthermore, residents of neighboring states relocate to Texas to gain decent jobs in large corporations. When such migration processes occur, individuals tend to receive benefits such as higher salaries, cheaper housing, and career prospects. Therefore, Texas is a metropolis that constantly attracts residents not only from California but also from New Mexico and Oklahoma (McPherson et al. para 6). Accordingly, traditionally Republican views of the permanent population of Texas are changing under the influence of migration processes. Gradually, such changes may lead to the fact that the political opinions of Texas will move from red to a more balanced purple color. Moreover, the position of the state of Texas regarding the ban on abortion has not reduced the inflow of new people to the state. On the contrary, the new population of the conservative state opposes such a ban and spreads democratic views.
It is also worth noting the mass migration of people from Illinois and New York. The reasons for their movement are the same as those of Californians; in other words, they are searching for better living conditions. Nevertheless, natives often worry that such an influx of migrants will turn their prosperous red states into the blue ones from which they left for a succession of low welfare levels (New poll finds). In the case of Texas, surveys have been conducted claiming that Native Texans do not blame migrants for the change in political indicators. Although old-timers have serious concerns about the election results, Elon Musk and Joe Rogan, for example, emphasize the state’s changing political preferences because of the constant flow of migration (New poll finds). Consequently, not all Texans identify with the possible transition of Texas from a red zone to a stable purple location.
Conclusion
Hence, the change in the political views of Texas residents is associated with migration from such states as California, Illinois, New York, New Mexico, and Oklahoma. Residents of these states are migrating to Texas because businesses have recently moved their headquarters there. At the same time, the state offers lower taxes and housing prices, which encourages Americans to migrate. Accordingly, the increase in the population of the Republican state due to the move of people with democratic views contributes to the change of political orientation. This is due to the fact that new inhabitants of the states do not support the core values of the native Texans, who believe that the state should remain red. Thus, a slow but steady shift in political attitudes will eventually lead to Texas becoming a balanced purple state.
Works Cited
DeVore, Chuck. “Will Texas Flip Because of Blue State Migrants? Don’t Bet on It.” Texas Public Policy Foundation. 2020. Web.
McPherson, Kevin, and Bruce Wright. “Gone To Texas: Migration.” Fiscal Notes. 2017. Web.
Lee, D., & Alm, R. Don’t Californize Texas. proquest. Web.
“New Poll Finds All Those People Moving To Texas Aren’t Going To Be Voting For Democrats.” Texas Public Policy Foundation. Web.
Westly, Tim. ~Keeping Texas Republican Red! ~. Tim Westly. 2021. Web.