Another Texas Democrat Lawmaker Leaves Party

Texas Insider Report: AUSTIN Texas Yet ANOTHER Democrat has decided his party has failed him moving Texas ever so close to the 2/3 majority mark in the State House of Representatives. At least 13 other state lawmakers in 5 other states have switched ranks since November 2nds Election.   From Statesman.com:

State Rep. Allan Ritter of Nederland said Saturday that he will leave the Democratic Party and become a Republican probably giving the GOP a two-thirds majority in the Texas House. He may not be the last one. Democratic Rep. Aaron Pea of Edinburg hinted Saturday about making the switch to the GOP. Ritter would be the 99th Republican in the 150-member House. The seat last held by Republican Edmund Kuempel of Seguin who died last month is likely to stay in GOP hands which means two-thirds of the members of the House would be Republicans. The party would be able to pass a constitutional amendment and take money out of the states rainy day fund without any Democratic votes. Ritter whose district is in the Beaumont area did not have a Republican challenger this year. Others who fit his profile moderate to conservative white Democrats from rural areas and mid-size towns got swept away in the November elections and Ritter could well have lost if the GOP had challenged him.

Read the Rest … Or as the Austin American Statesmans Ken Herman opined in his Nov. 9th Simple subtraction for the Democrats column ... Earlier this century a wise man wrote this about white Democrats in the Texas Legislature:

Once not so long ago they roamed in great herds. They controlled the landscape and the alpha males among them ruled with certainty and swagger. But now after generations of dominance theyve been reduced to endangered species and their natural enemies have marked them for extinction.

OK it wasnt a wise man it was just me doing math. I wrote that in March 2003 noting that in 1983 white Democrats sat in 21 of the 31 state Senate seats and 85 of the 150 House seats. By 2003 it was down to three Senate seats and 19 House seats. The numbers have varied since but when the first gavels go down in January we will be down to nine whites (thats non-Hispanic whites) among the 51 Democrats in the House including three locals (Mark Strama Elliott Naishtat and Donna Howard assuming her 16-vote win stands up). Howard stands an excellent chance of becoming chair of the House White Female Democratic Caucus. Thats because shell be the sole member of that caucus. In the Senate well be down to three white Democrats from the current four. El Pasos Eliot Shapleigh did not seek re-election and will be replaced by Democrat Jose Rodriguez. The Senates lone white female Democrat will continue to be Wendy Davis of Fort Worth. The other two Senate white Ds are Austins Kirk Watson and Houstons John Whitmire. Whered all the white Democrats go? Seventeen including five of the six women in the House got wiped out in last weeks GOP wave. Whats it all mean? I dont know; go ask a wise man. Im just doing math. But it seems a partys claim to diversity cant be helped when its roster of legislators is increasingly low on one of the states major demographics white people. Do Texas Democrats have to crank up a white outreach program (maybe at country clubs and hockey games)? Of course they do said Sean Theriault an associate professor of government at the University of Texas. You cant form a party and write off the white vote. Thats no way to come back into power. Further trouble for Democrats: Texas Republicans get to claim increasing diversity.

• The GOP caucus in the House next year will include two blacks (up from none last year and only one Ron Givens of Lubbock 1985-89 in the 20th century) and four (or five) additional Hispanics.
• The two new black GOPers in the House will be James White of Hillister who ousted Democrat Jim McReynolds of Lufkin and Stefani Carter of Dallas who beat incumbent Democrat Carol Kent.

The new Hispanic Republicans will be:

1. Raul Torres of Corpus Christi
2. Jose Aliseda of Beeville
3. Larry Gonzales of Round Rock and
4. John Garza of San Antonio

All except Garza defeated incumbent Democratic Hispanics. Garza beat incumbent David Liebowitz. Southern Methodist University political scientist Cal Jillson sees the dwindling white Democratic caucus as further certification that when and if Texas Democrats return to power (or at least relevance) its not going to be your granddaddys Democratic Party. Not only will it be majority minority (mostly Hispanics) it will be predominantly minority Jillson said. And he noted any Democratic resurgence could be 20 to 30 years away if Hispanic voter turnout doesnt improve. He also said the lack of highly visible white Democrats hurts the partys effort to lure white folks back into the fold. People do respond best to people that look like them. They feel good about casting a vote for somebody who looks like them he said. Back in 2003 Rep. Chuck Hopson D-Jacksonville predicted hed be the last Democrat to represent his conservative East Texas district. I think they will go away he told me then predicting a day when thered be no white Democrats in the House. That hasnt happened yet but Hopson to date is on track with his prediction about his district. Its no longer represented by a Chuck Hopson D-Jacksonville. Its represented by Chuck Hopson R-Jacksonville who in the name of survival switched parties last year. As a Democrat in 2008 Hopson won re-election by 120 votes out of almost 53000 cast. As a Republican last week Hopson won by 18434 votes out of almost 36000 cast. Was Hopson making a philosophical statement by switching parties? Nah he was just like me a guy doing math.