Democrats take aim at Houston suburbs in bid for Texas House majority
Democrats emboldened by close races in 2018 and by President Donald Trump’s flagging approval in the suburbs have even bigger ambitions in the Houston area in 2020, taking aim at a handful of traditionally bright red districts long thought to be out of reach.
Both parties acknowledge the high stakes involved in this year’s battle for the lower chamber, Democrats’ only chance to gain leverage before the 2021 legislative session, when lawmakers will redraw the state’s political maps. Republicans, who also control the Senate and governor’s mansion, hold an 83-67 advantage in the House after losing 12 seats in 2018.
The Democrats are unlikely to capture a House majority without picking up at least a few seats in the Houston area, party officials and political analysts said. Abhi Rahman, a spokesman for the Texas Democratic Party, said the party’s “path to the majority runs directly through Houston and the Houston suburbs.”
“Flipping the Texas House is the top strategic imperative for the Texas Democratic Party,” Rahman said in a statement. “Texas is changing rapidly and urban areas and suburbs across the state are trending Democratic. Suburbanites are sick of Donald Trump’s actions and Republicans’ inability to manage crisis situations.”
https://www.expressnews.com/politics/texas/article/Democrats-take-aim-at-Houston-suburbs-in-bid-for-15588206.php