Warning signs are flashing for Republicans in Texas, as the party faces eroding support in the state’s increasingly diverse suburbs.
A number of House seats in the state’s suburbs this cycle are in play for Democrats, while Democratic Senate candidate M.J. Hegar has outperformed expectations in her race against incumbent Sen. John Cornyn (R). The Senate Majority PAC announced on Thursday they were jumping into the race, launching an $8.6 million television blitz supporting Hegar.
At the presidential level, a number of polls show Trump holding a single digit lead over Democratic nominee Joe Biden. The former vice president’s wife Jill Biden visited a number of Texas suburbs this week in an effort to rally the vote.
Republicans’ struggle to appeal to the state’s growing and increasingly diverse suburbs is reflective of a problem the party — and in particular President Trump — faces nationwide.
Trump issued a direct appeal to suburban women at a rally in Johnstown, Pa., on Tuesday, acknowledging his growing deficit with female suburban voters in particular.
“Suburban women, will you please like me?” Trump said, surrounded by pink Women for Trump signs. “I saved your damn neighborhood, OK?”
A number of polls paint a dire picture of Trump’s standing with suburban women. A Washington Post/ABC News survey released in August showed Biden leading Trump by 13 points with the group.
https://thehill.com/homenews/campaign/521460-changing-suburbs-threaten-gop-hold-on-texas