Twilight of the Texas Democrats
Subtitle: the 1978 governor's race
By: Kenneth Bridges.
Edition: 1st ed.
Series: Centennial series of the Association of Former Students, Texas A&M University -- no. 107
Publisher: Texas A&M University Press
Published: 2008
Place of publication: College Station
Language: eng
Number of pages: 219
ISBN-13: 9781603440097
Subjects: Clements, William P., -- 1917-; Democratic Party (Tex.) -- History -- 20th century; Republican Party (Tex.) -- History -- 20th century; Governors -- Texas -- Election -- History -- 20th century; Political candidates -- Texas -- Biography; Politicians -- Texas -- Biography; Political parties -- Texas -- History -- 20th century; Political campaigns -- Texas -- History -- 20th century; Party affiliation -- Texas -- History -- 20th century; Texas -- Politics and government -- 1951-
Genres: Biography.
Description: "In 1978, Republican William P. Clements won the race for governor of the Lone Star State, marking the start of an interlude of two-party competition in the state. Eventually, Republican ascendancy would once again make Texas a "safe" place for a single party - but not the party that had dominated the state since the end of Reconstruction." "At the time, observers asked whether the election of a Republican governor was a mere flash in the pan. For the previous twenty years, other races, at every level from national to local, had made inroads into Democratic strongholds, but the party's dominance by and large had held. In 1978, that changed." "Now, historian Kenneth Bridges - drawing on polling data, newspaper reports, archival sources, and extensive interviews - both confirms the significance of the election and explains the many and complex forces at work in it. He analyzes a wide range of factors that includes the disaffection among Mexican American voters fanned by La Raza Unida, miscalculations by Democrat John Hill and his campaign staff, the superior polling techniques used by Clements, the unpopularity of the Democratic president, Jimmy Carter, the changing demographics of the state, and the unprecedented spending by the Clements team. In the process Bridges describes a partisan realignment among Texas voters, not an ideological one." "Twilight of the Texas Democrats promises to illuminate studies in both political science and regional history."--book jacket.
Notes: Includes bibliographical references (p. [203]-210) and index.