Republicans bet their conservative policies will win over voters, roll over Democrats

Even with the specter of a Nov. 8 general election with more moderate voters, Republican Texas House Speaker Dade Phelan is strident in his support of the rash of conservative legislation approved by lawmakers last year and signed by Gov. Greg Abbott. He said lawmakers were told that legislation approved last year, including strict anti-abortion laws, a law allowing people to carry a gun without a permit, a controversial elections measure, and border security initiatives would “alienate those who were gravitating towards the Republican Party.” “Tell me about those bills that aren’t God, country and family,” Phelan said during a reception at the Texas Republican convention. “They embody those three elements. I feel pretty good about November and pretty darn good about what we did in the 87th session to attract those people who just want personal freedom.” Staying true to conservatism, even the Donald Trump-style variety, was an overriding message at the Texas GOP convention that wrapped up Saturday in Houston. It’s a winning formula, leaders and delegates said. And if Republicans are victorious in November, they promise that more conservative legislation is on the way.

In election seasons past, it was typical for conservative Republicans to inch from their hard-right perch and ease toward the middle. Now, in the era of former President Trump, Texas Republicans see no need to appeal to what they suggest is a mythical middle. Instead, they cling to the red meat issues that dominated their primary process, where the state’s most extreme activists are dominant. Meanwhile, Democrats are hoping to derive campaign energy from the backlash to GOP policies that restrict abortions, promote the proliferation of guns, curb mail-in voting, target transgender residents and builds walls along the nation’s southern border with Mexico. If history is a guide, Texas Republicans have the advantage. Democrats haven’t won a statewide race since 1994 and Republicans enjoy a structural advantage in the electorate. They are aggressive in their recruitment of Hispanic residents in South Texas, a key strategy in growing the party’s mostly white base. Republicans are also favored to win in November because of the unpopularity of President Biden and the headwinds that have developed over inflation and high gas prices. Even in strong economic times for consumers, the party with control of the White House and Congress nearly always has deep losses in midterm elections. During the convention, elected officials and delegates said Republican policies that focus on God, family and freedom will make the difference with voters. It’s a formula GOP candidates are using to woo voters in South Texas, which is historically a Democratic Party stronghold. “If you’re a Hispanic guy in South Texas, if you’re driving a pickup truck, if you work in the oil field and do bird hunting on the weekends, and these lunatics want to bankrupt you, put you out of work, put your kids out of school, and destroy your family, you’re voting Republican,” Sen. Ted Cruz said in a convention speech.