1. Political Parties in Texas

2. Party Structure Political party: An organization influenced by political ideology whose primary interest is to gain control of government by winning elections. American political parties exist at four levels: national, state, county and precinct. The two major parties in the United States -- Democratic party and the Republican party -- are alike in structure and each contains a permanent party organization and a temporary party organization.

3. Temporary party organization In the U.S. political system there are two types of elections – Primary elections– voters in each party decide who will represent the party in the general election General elections– voters decide which candidates will fill elective offices. The temporary party organization consists of conventions and primaries in which party members choose candidates who will run on the party’s ticket in the general election.

4. Temporary party organization: Precinct convention The lowest level of the temporary party organization is the precinct convention. Precinct conventions occur on the day of the primary election (March of even-numbered years), are held at the voting precinct location (the location where voters to cast their ballot), and begin right after the polls close. (after 7pm) Any citizen who voted in the party’s primary is permitted to attend and participate in the precinct convention as a delegate.

5. Temporary party organization: Precinct convention The main business of the precinct convention is to elect delegates to the county convention (or senatorial district convention in large urban areas) Precinct conventions may elect one delegate for every 25 votes cast in the precinct for the party’s gubernatorial nominee in the previous general election. Participants at the precinct convention may also debate and adopt resolutions to be submitted to the county or district convention for consideration.

6. Temporary party organization: County and District Conventions County and district conventions occur the third Saturday after the precinct conventions ( adjustments for Easter or Passover) Heavily populated counties such as Harris, Bexar and Dallas which have more than one state senatorial district hold district conventions instead of county conventions.

7. Temporary party organization: County and District Conventions Main business of the county and district conventions is to select delegates to the party’s state convention. County and district conventions select one delegate for every 300 votes cast in the county or district for the party’s gubernatorial nominee in the most recent general election.

8. Temporary party organization: County and District Conventions Republican party: delegate candidates are selected by a committee on nominations and submitted for approval by convention participants. http://www.texasgop.org/about-the-party/

9. Temporary party organization: County and District Conventions Democratic party: state delegates are selected by the precinct delegations (convention participants). If not all delegate positions are filled in this manner, nomination committee proposes delegates in proportion to the percentage of women, young people and minorities present in the county or district for approval by convention delegates. http://www.txdemocrats.org/act/be-a-party-leader County and district conventions also send resolutions to state conventions

10. Temporary party organization: State conventions According to Texas election code, each party must hold a biennial state convention in June of every even-numbered year. The state conventions: Certify to the Texas Secretary of State the names of party members nominated in the primaries for Texas elective offices. (http://www.sos.state.tx.us/)http://www.sos.state.tx.us/ Write the rules that will govern the party Draft and adopt a party platform --statement of issues party plans to address if it wins Adopt resolutions regarding issues too specific to be included in the party platform Select members of the party’s state executive committee.

11. State conventions In Presidential election years, state convention delegates also perform the following functions Elect delegates to the national party conventions – the conventions at which each party nominates its candidate for president. Total number of delegates from Texas to the national party conventions is determined by each party’s rules. Elect members from Texas to the party’s national committee

12. State conventions Elect a slate of potential presidential electors to cast Texas’ electoral votes if the party wins the state’s popular vote in the presidential general election. Texas casts 38 electoral votes – the number equal to the number of its members in the U.S. Congress: 2 U.S. Senators and 36 members of the U.S. House of Representatives.

13. Permanent Party Organization Role of the permanent party organization is to Recruit candidates Devise strategies Raise funds Distribute candidate literature and information Register voters GOTV (Get out the vote on election day)

14. Permanent Party Organization In Texas the permanent party organization consists of The precinct chairs The county and district executive committees The state executive committee

15. Permanent Party Organization: the Precinct Chair The precinct chair is the party official responsible for the interests and activities of a political party in a voting district. Typical duties of the precinct chair include encouraging voter registration, distributing campaign literature, operating phone banks and GOTV on election day.

16. Permanent Party Organization: the county executive committee The county executive committee is composed of the party’s precinct chairs and the elected county chair. The county executive committee conducts primaries and makes arrangements for holding the county conventions. The county chair is elected by the county party members in the primaries; this key official heads the county executive committee. Duties of the county chair include: recruiting local candidates for office, raising funds, establishing and staffing the party’s county campaign headquarters, serving as local spokesperson for the party.

17. Permanent Party Organization: the State Executive Committee As mandated by state law, the State Executive Committee is composed of a chair, a vice-chair (one of whom must be a woman) and two members – a man and a woman-- from each senatorial district (31 districts; 62 members). http://www.txdemocrats.org/party/executive- committee http://www.txdemocrats.org/party/executive- committee http://www.texasgop.org/leadership- directory/state-republican-executive-committee/ http://www.texasgop.org/leadership- directory/state-republican-executive-committee/

18. Permanent Party Organization: the State Executive Committee The 64 members of the State Executive Committee (Chair, Vice-chair and 62 members) for each party are elected at the party’s state convention. Party’s state chair is the key strategist and spokesperson; role of the Vice-chair is more honorary in nature. Rules may allow “add-on” members to the 64 statutory members: member from women’s groups, racial and ethnic groups, youth groups and various party leaders.

19. Current Party Organizations in Texas http://www.harrisdemocrats.com/ http://www.harrisdemocrats.com/party_officers http://www.txdemocrats.org/ http://www.txdemocrats.org/party/executive-committee http://www.harriscountygop.com/ http://www.harriscountygop.com/Leadership.asp http://www.texasgop.org/ http://www.texasgop.org/leadership-directory/party- officers/ http://www.texasgop.org/leadership-directory/party- officers/ http://www.texasgop.org/leadership-directory/state- republican-executive-committee/ http://www.texasgop.org/leadership-directory/state- republican-executive-committee/

20. Political Ideology Political ideology: the basic belief system that guides a political party Conservative– Right Liberal – Left The Republican party in Texas tends to be dominated by right-wing social conservatives The Democratic party in Texas tends to be influenced – but not dominated by left-wing liberals.

21. Conservatism In purest form, conservative doctrine envisions a social and economic order untouched by government. Individuals would be left alone (laissez-faire) to pursue their own self-interest and the cost of government would be low. Conservatives are generally opposed to government subsidized programs such as assistance to poor families with children, unemployment insurance and federal price supports to benefit farmers.

22. Conservatism Fiscal conservatives give highest priority to low taxes and reduced government spending. Social conservatives stress the importance of so-called “family values” including opposing legal abortion and homosexuality. Social conservatives support privatizing education by providing government funded assistance to families so they can send their children to private schools.

23. Conservative factions in Texas The current Republican party in Texas is comprised of three factions, each with differing agendas and each competing for dominance within the party. These factions are: 1.Traditional establishment and pro-business Republicans 2.Pro-market libertarian Republicans 3.Christian conservative Republicans

24. Conservative factions in Texas The priorities of traditional establishment and pro- business Republicans are to keep taxes low and foster a pro-business climate in Texas. The beliefs of the pure “free-market” libertarians are centered on the idea of an efficient self-regulating market that functions best when government strongly defends property rights. These pro-market libertarian Republicans are as committed to personal liberty as they are to economic freedom. Social conservative Republicans believe government should set a moral agenda.

25. Conservative factions in Texas The pro-business faction has been willing to depart from a strict free-market model by using government intervention to actively support business in Texas. Active efforts have included the Texas Emerging Technologies fund, established by Rick Perry, which poured tens of millions of state money into new start-up business, several of which ultimately failed.

26. Conservative factions in Texas In his first months as governor, Greg Abbott in 2015 with the approval of the legislature, terminated the Emerging Technologies Fund, and replaced it with an initiative with an initiative to attract Nobel laureates and other world-renowned researchers to Texas universities. The Pro-market Libertarians-- along with members of the media and some Texas Democrats-- have criticized the Pro-business Republicans’ willingness to use government to subsidize business efforts, calling such initiatives “crony capitalism” -- a system in which business success depends on personal relationships between people in business and government officials.

27. Conservative factions in Texas Social conservative Republicans are focused on the “culture war” and concerned with what they perceive as a decline in morality in Texas and in the U.S. These social conservative Republicans oppose abortion, oppose gay civil rights and gay marriage, generally support prayer in schools (some but not all), and push for alternatives to teaching evolution such as creationism and intelligent design in public schools.

28. Conservative factions in Texas 2009, the Tea Party movement (it is NOT a party) emerged, formed by a loose coalition of conservatives who argued the size and scope of government had grown out of control. The Tea Party consists of thousands of separate, autonomous groups, though the Tea Party Patriots is a national umbrella group that claims affiliation with 3,500 local organizations.

29. Conservative factions in Texas In the 2012 Republican primary run-off, Ted Cruz was able to defeat Lieutenant Gov. David Dewhurst, an establishment pro-business millionaire, for the U.S. Senate nomination largely due to Cruz’ support from Tea Party members. In Texas the Tea Party includes both pro- market libertarian Republicans and social conservative Republicans.

30. Liberals Liberals favor government regulation of the economy to achieve a more equitable distribution of wealth. Liberals believe government intervention is necessary to protect the environment, that the government is obligated to aid the unemployed, alleviate poverty and guarantee equal rights for minorities and women.

31. Liberals Liberals believe the government should not be involved in issues of individual morality and religion. They are more likely to oppose prayer in public schools, government subsidies for religious institutions and any church involvement in secular politics. In Texas, the Democratic party has less faction- based in-fighting because most conservative Democrats (yes; there once was such a thing) left the Democratic party and became Republicans.

32. “Turn Texas Blue” Following the re-election of President Obama in 2012, the national Democratic party launched at initiative to “turn Texas Blue,” also known as Battleground Texas. (turn Texas blue connotes the media’s references to Republican states as “red” states; Democratic states as “blue” states.) Former Dallas mayor Ron Kirk said in 2010, “When Texas turns blue, this country’s going to turn blue and stay blue.”

33. “Turn Texas Blue” Republican Senator Ted Cruz said that if Texas goes Democratic, “No Republican will ever again win the White House….the Electoral College math is simple…the Republican party would cease to exist.” Political operatives from the Obama campaign directed the strategy for Battleground Texas which evolved into the campaign organization for Democrat Wendy Davis candidacy for governor in 2014. When election results were in Republican Greg Abbott won over Wendy Davis, getting 59% of the vote to Davis’ 39%.

34. “Turn Texas Blue” Davis, a former FT. Worth city council member and member of the Texas Senate, was chosen as the candidate to oppose Abbott in 2014 largely on the fact that she entered the national spotlight when she filibustered an anti-abortion bill in the Texas legislature in 2013. A large part of the Battleground Texas strategy was to register more Texas Hispanic voters and get those voters to turn out for Davis in the November election. That Davis was so closely aligned with abortion rights probably hurt her chances with many religiously conservative Hispanic voters.

35. “Turn Texas Blue” Despite the failure for Democrats in the 2014 gubernatorial election, Texas Democrats continue to view the expanding population of Hispanics in Texas as key to turning Texas back into a Democratic state. The anti-immigration stance of the national Republican party is considered by many to ruin the GOP’s chances with Hispanic voters. A 2011 poll showed that 64% of Hispanic voters in Texas believe that Republicans “don’t care” about them or are “hostile” toward them. However, this figure is lower than the national average of 73% of Latinos who expressed this view.

36. Overview of Texas Political History 1840s to 1870s: Origin of the one party system: During period of Reconstruction following the Civil War, Republican Party (the party of Lincoln and the North) controlled Texas politics. The U. S. Congress disenfranchised all Southerners who had ever held elective office and later supported the confederacy. A former Union general, E.J. Davis was elected governor of Texas during the period when the Radical Republicans controlled Texas. His administration was condemned for corruption and high taxes. Davis was defeated for re-election in 1873 by a newly enfranchised Texas electorate and Texas voters did not elect another Republican for governor for more than 100 years.

37. 1970s to 1990s: An emerging two- party system Beginning in the 1940s, a majority of conservative Democrats began to support the national Republican ticket, though Democrats remained in control at state and local level in Texas. In the past 17 Presidential elections (going back to 1952), Texas has supported the Democratic candidate only four times: JFK in 1960, LBJ in 1964, Hubert Humphrey in 1968 Jimmy Carter in 1976

38. 1970s to 1990s: An emerging two- party system 1960 LBJ was re-elected to the U.S. Senate, but in the same year he was JFK’s running mate. When LBJ left the Senate to assume the vice-presidency, Texas elected Republican John Tower to fill LBJ’s vacant seat in the Senate in a special election in 1971. Tower won re-election in 1966, 1972 and 1978. Bill Clements was elected governor of Texas in 1978, first Republican governor since Reconstruction. (Clements served two non-consecutive terms as Governor of Texas: 1979-1983; 1987-1991). When John Tower announced in 1983 that he would not seek re- election, Phil Gramm, a former Democratic member of the U.S. House of Representatives who changed over to the Republican party in 1983, was elected as a Republican to the U.S. Senate in 1984.

39. 1970s to 1990s: An emerging two- party system 1992, Democrat Lloyd Bentsen, the senior U.S. senator from Texas, resigned when he was appointed secretary of the treasury by President Clinton. Texas elected Republican Kay Bailey Huchinson to fill the senate seat vacated by Bentsen. With her election, Texas had two Republicans U.S. Senators – Hutchinson and Gramm-- for the first time since Reconstruction.

40. 1970s to 1990s: An emerging two- party system Republican party made gains in Texas throughout the 90s. 1992 Bill Clinton became the first Democratic president elected without carrying Texas. 1994 Governor’s race, Republican George W. Bush defeated incumbent Democrat Ann Richards. Republicans won 23 statewide offices. The year 1994 is recognized as the year Texas went from its brief stint as a two-party system to one-party Republican system.

41. 2000 to 2014: Republican Dominance In Presidential election of 2000, more than 25% of Texas Democrats told pollsters they would support Republican George Bush. December, 2000, Republican Rick Perry assumes governorship when George W. Bush is elected President of the United States. Perry is elected in his own right in 2002 and re-elected every election until he chose not to run in 2014. After the 2000 elections, Republicans held all statewide offices and held majorities in both the House and Senate of the Texas legislature.

42. 2000 to 2014: Republican Dominance 2006 Democrats fielded candidates in only nine statewide offices: all lost. 2008, Democrat Barack Obama did not carry Texas but carried four of the state’s five most populous counties due to support from African American and Hispanic voters. 2008 Republicans won every statewide election in Texas. 2010 Houston Democratic mayor Bill White loses governor’s race to incumbent Perry. 2010 Republicans again elected to all statewide offices.

43. 2000 to 2014: Republican Dominance 2012 general election, Texas Republican party remained in firm control of all three branches of state government: Republican party held 95 out of 150 seats in the state House 19 out of 31 seats in state Senate and all statewide offices.

44. 2000 to 2014: Republican Dominance 2014 Governor’s race: Republican Greg Abbott wins over Democrat Wendy Davis, getting 59% of the vote to Davis’ 39%. http://www.texasobserver.org/meet-jim-hogan-democratic- mystery-man/ http://www.texasobserver.org/meet-jim-hogan-democratic- mystery-man/ 2014 general election, Republicans swept all statewide offices. Texas GOP maintained control of all three branches. Video Analysis by Editor of Texas monthly: http://kxan.com/2014/11/04/republican-sweep-what- tuesdays-election-means-for-texas http://kxan.com/2014/11/04/republican-sweep-what- tuesdays-election-means-for-texas

45. 2000 to 2014: Republican Dominance 84 th legislature seated in January, 2015: Texas House of Representatives: 51 Democrats; 97 Republicans; Texas senate: 11 Democrats; 20 Republicans. Texas Congressional delegation: 2 Republicans in U.S. Senate U.S. House of Representatives: 11 Democrats, 25 Republicans

46. Electoral trends Past 30 years, competition between Texas Democratic and Republican parties has brought more women, African Americans and Latinos into the state’s political system. Republican electoral victories demonstrate that many Texans who were previously Democrats have switched their allegiance to the Republican party – a concept known as realignment. Realignment: occurs when members of one party shift their affiliation to another party. Over the past 30-40 years, realignment has turned Texas from a solidly Democratic state to a solidly Republican state.

47. Electoral trends No Democrats have been elected to statewide office since 1994. Republican presidential candidates have carried Texas in the last nine presidential elections. Republican strongholds in Texas are mainly in the West Texas, the Panhandle; rural areas in East Texas and the suburbs of the state’s large metropolitan areas. Central cities in large metropolitan areas: Houston, Austin, Dallas, San Antonio as well as the Rio Grande Valley generally are areas of Democratic strength in Texas.

48. Electoral trends Democrats continue to control some county offices. Democratic voting strength is concentrated in El Paso, South Texas, parts of East Texas, the Golden Triangle of Beaumont, Port Arthur and Orange, portions of Central Texas lower income neighborhoods of state’s large cities – also areas of Democratic strength

49. De-alignment in Texas Many argue that what has occurred in Texas politics is actually de-alignment: the view that a growing number of voters and candidates do not align with either major political party but are independents. This view is supported by five premises: 1. the decline in straight ticket voting; 2. candidates tend to distance themselves from parties 3. the number of Texans who identify as Democrats has declined 4. Low voter-turnout 5. the rise in media campaigning

50. De-alignment in Texas 1.The decline in straight ticket voting: Straight ticket voting: voting for all candidates of one party. Ticket-splitting: voting for candidates of different parties for various offices in the same election. Texas no longer has very many straight-ticket voters “yellow dog Democrats” – a term that emerged in the South for voters who would vote for a yellow dog if the canine ran on the Democratic ticket. Straight ticking voting is an indicator of party strength.

51. De-alignment in Texas 2. Candidates these days tend to distance themselves from parties: those running for office try to establish themselves as brand-names in order to make a direct connection with the voters. Many do not put their party’s name on billboards, yard signs and campaign literature. (though Republican candidates almost always emblazon their signs with the word “conservative.”) These candidates want voters to remember their name, not the name of the party.

52. De-alignment in Texas 3. The number of Texans who identify as Democrats has declined. The percentage of Texans who identify themselves as Democrats has declined from 66% in 1952 to 22% in 2009. other data: 39% in 1990; 28% in 2010. http://www.tribtalk.org/2014/10/29/another-warning-sign- for-texas-democrats/ http://www.tribtalk.org/2014/10/29/another-warning-sign- for-texas-democrats/

53. De-alignment in Texas 4. Voter turnout is low. In 1996 George W. Bush was re-elected to his second term as governor of Texas by 67% of the popular vote, but only 18% of registered voters turned out for that election. Nearly 3/4 of eligible voters did not turn out for the 1996 election – a presidential year when higher voter turnout is expected. low voter turnout is also a characteristic of a one- party state in a traditionalistic political culture.

54. De-alignment in Texas 5. The rise in media campaigning since 1970. Candidates spend the greatest share of their campaign funds on 30- and 60-second TV and radio ads. Most voters in Texas (and in the U.S.) get most their political information at election time from advertisements, not from news outlets. Media advertising contributes to increased independence of candidates, ticket-splitting, and the decreased strength of parties.

55. Independents Independent candidate: a candidate who runs in a general election without party endorsement or selection In Texas, independent candidates have trouble gaining access to the ballot. According to the Texas Election Code, independents are required to file by gathering signatures on a petition; the number required for statewide office is “one percent of the total vote received by all candidates for governor in the most recent gubernatorial election.” For 2014 – this meant 49,798 signatures from registered voters who had not voted in either the Republican or Democratic primary elections or runoff elections and who had not signed another candidate’s petition for office that year.

56. Independents 2006, two candidates ran as independents for governor of Texas. Republican activist Carole Keeton Strayhorn with 10 years experience in statewide elective offices, positioned herself, running as a Republican, as a challenger to Rick Perry. When polling showed that she would be competitive with Perry in the general election but not in the Republican primary, she announced she would run as an independent. In the general election she lost, receiving slightly more than 18% of the vote.

57. Independents The other candidate was songwriter, author, and humorist Richard S. “Kinky” Friedman, known for his band Kinky Friedman and the Texas Jewboys and songs like “They Ain’t Makin’ Jews Like Jesus anymore. Kinky obtained a little over 14% of the vote in the general election.

58. Third Parties Third party: In the United States political system, a party other than the Republican Party or the Democratic Party. Sometimes called a “minor” party because of limited membership and voter support. The success of a political party is generally measured by its ability to win elections. By this measure, third parties in the U.S. and in Texas are unsuccessful. The success of third parties is better measured by their ability to make the public aware of their issues or to force major parties to adopt their issues.

59. Third Parties According to Texas state law, a minor party (also referred to as “third party” or a “new political party”) may nominate candidates either by convention or primary election, if the party’s nominee for governor in the most recent gubernatorial election received at least two percent but less than twenty percent of the total number of votes received by all candidates for governor. http://www.sos.state.tx.us/elections/candidates/ guide/minor.shtml http://www.sos.state.tx.us/elections/candidates/ guide/minor.shtml

60. Third parties Only the Green Party and the Libertarian Party are recognized as third parties in Texas. http://lptexas.org/ http://web.txgreens.org/ In the 2014 Texas governor’s race, the Libertarian candidate Kathie Glass received 1.4% of the vote Green party candidate Brandon Palmer received.4% of the vote in the 2014 governor’s race These figures suggest that both parties have lost their access to the 2016 ballot.

61. Third parties In Texas from the 1890s to the present, third parties have had some electoral successes. These parties have included: the agrarian based Populist Party the Latino party La Raza Unida (1970s) Ross Perot’s Reform Party (1990s) Libertarian Party (past 30 years)

62. Third parties: the Libertarian Party The Libertarian Party advocates minimizing government at all levels, while maximizing individual freedom and rights and has nominated candidates for local, state and national office throughout Texas. The party nominated Texas Congressman Ron Paul for U.S. President in 1988, though Paul ran for president as a Republican in 2008 and 2012. As of mid-2012, eight Libertarians held local offices in Texas.

63. Third parties: the Green Party The Green Party, whose principles include grassroots democracy, ecological wisdom, nonviolence, and social justice and equal opportunity, put Ralph Nadar on the ballot in the 2000 Presidential election. In that election in Texas, Nadar received 2.2% of the popular vote. In the 2000 election, the Libertarian Party and the Green Party had more candidates on the ballot than did the Democratic Party In 2002, The Green Party fielded candidates for governor, U.S. Senator, lieutenant governor, five other statewide offices and several statewide judgeships and congressional seats but won no elections and rarely received more than 3% of the vote.

64. Third parties In Texas and the rest of the nation, third parties historically have had little success in winning elective offices. This is the case for a number of reasons: 1.In the U.S., relative to other nations, there is general political consensus. The United States operates within a narrower ideological range compared with other nations where multiple parties compete successfully to win elections. 2. Voter identification: Most Americans grew up with the two major parties and as adults tend to identify themselves with the party of their parents, either Democrat or Republican.

65. Third Parties 3. Lack of proportional representation in government. In some countries, if a party polls 35% of the vote, it wins 35% of the seats in the national legislature. In the U.S., candidates run from single member districts and take their seats as the winner if they receive more votes than the other candidate.

66. Third parties 4. Third parties also are hurt in the U.S. system that allows candidates to be elected to office by winning a plurality (winning the most votes, not necessarily more than 50%) rather than a majority (winning with more than 50% of the votes). By law in Texas, to win a primary election a candidate must win a majority of the vote. But in the U.S. and in Texas, in general elections candidates need only win a plurality.

67. Third Parties 5. Finally, in Texas and in the U.S. the two major parties are able legally to limit access to the ballot. The Republican party and the Democratic party automatically get their candidates on the ballot. Other parties must get petitions signed by 5 to 10% of registered voters who did not vote in either primary in order to win a place on the ballot. Getting these signatures can be prohibitively expensive for minor parties who are seeking access to the ballot.

68. The Natural Law Party: Transcendental Meditation reduces crime In 1996, the Natural Law party got enough signatures to have its candidates placed on the ballot in Texas. The Natural Law party promoted the idea of transcendental meditation as a way to reduce crime. The party also supported environmental protection, clean energy and health issues. The Natural Law Party is no longer active in Texas.