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President-elect Donald Trump and U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz dominated their respective races in Texas this 12 months, widening their margins of victory in comparison with earlier races by making appreciable inroads throughout the state’s border counties, areas historically seen as Democratic strongholds.
Trump bested Vice President Kamala Harris by 14 proportion factors in Texas, a big enhance from his 5-point benefit over President Joe Biden in 2020 and his 9-point lead over Hillary Clinton in 2016. Cruz, in the meantime, defeated U.S. Rep. Colin Allred, a Dallas Democrat, by 9 proportion factors, a extra snug victory than his 2018 efficiency when he barely edged out Democrat Beto O’Rourke.
Trump and Cruz’s good points alongside the border got here after the Republican get together invested closely in garnering assist in South Texas, a majority Hispanic space the place Democrats spent much less time campaigning. Trump and Cruz each held onto their voter bases in crimson, rural counties and elevated their share of votes from the border. Trump’s assist within the border grew from 41% in 2020 to 55% in 2024 whereas Cruz’s elevated from 33% in 2018 to 45% this 12 months.
Trump’s edge over Cruz displays a typical development of presidential candidates carrying the ticket and receiving the very best variety of votes, mentioned Joshua Clean, director of analysis for the Texas Politics Mission. And it additionally displays Trump’s distinctive benefit successful over younger male voters.
“This is another example of how 2020 was a very odd election,” Clean mentioned, noting that U.S. Sen. John Cornyn obtained extra votes than Trump that 12 months. “Cornyn’s performance was almost certainly a reflection of Trump’s handling of the pandemic, not a reflection of an underlying shift in the electorate.”
Clean added the relative strengths of the candidates Trump and Cruz confronted could have additionally performed into their totally different margins of victory. Allred, who was nearly unknown previous to his Senate marketing campaign, introduced himself as a average candidate who labored throughout each side of the aisle. Cruz tried to painting Allred as a liberal candidate who wished to let boys play on ladies sports activities groups.
Harris, in the meantime, was seen as a liberal candidate, partly due to her background and her affiliation with the Biden administration.
An October survey by the Texas Politics Mission discovered that 80% of doubtless Republicans voters recognized Harris as “extremely liberal.” In distinction, solely 45% of doubtless Republican voters characterised Allred that manner.
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“Allred was a more palatable choice for people uncomfortable with Cruz than Harris was for people uncomfortable with Trump,” Clean mentioned.
In large, blue, city counties like Harris and Dallas, Trump managed to drag extra votes than in earlier elections, lessening Harris’ benefit within the state’s most populous areas.
Trump and Cruz additionally benefited from a drop in voter turnout this 12 months within the Democratic strongholds.
In a handful of counties — together with border counties equivalent to Webb and Hidalgo in addition to bigger fast-growing areas like Williamson and Tarrant — the hole in assist for Trump and Cruz resulted in a break up ticket, the place Trump and Allred each gained.
For some voters within the Republican get together, Allred was a viable different to Cruz.
“There are people in his own party who detest him, who think he’s insincere,” mentioned Jon Taylor, a political science professor on the College of Texas San Antonio. “People remember that he fled to Cancun in 2021” throughout winter storm Uri.
