Rice expert says Texas Democrats have an ‘Anglo problem’

EXPERT ALERT

David Ruth
713-348-6327
david@rice.edu

Rice expert says Texas Democrats have an ‘Anglo problem’

HOUSTON – (Sept. 30, 2014) – While substantial “ink and bytes” have been devoted to the GOP’s “Hispanic problem,” a forthcoming report from Rice University political scientist Mark Jones finds that Texas Democrats face an uphill battle with an “Anglo problem” in the Lone Star State.

Mark Jones photo courtesy Rice University

Jones, the Joseph D. Jamail Chair in Latin American Studies, professor and chair of political science and fellow in political science at Rice’s Baker Institute, analyzed data from gubernatorial elections since 1990 and found that Democrats’ support has declined with white voters over the years. He said this could spell trouble for the party and its candidate for governor this year, Wendy Davis.

“Since 1990, no Democrat in Texas has come close to winning a majority of the Anglo vote,” Jones said. “It’s a problem for the party, given that among Texans who vote in gubernatorial races, Anglos still outnumber Hispanics by more than 3-to-1.

“Since at least that time, an absolute majority of Anglos have backed the Republican gubernatorial candidate, ranging from a low of 57 percent in 1990, when Democrat Ann Richards won 43 percent of the Anglo vote en route to her victory over Republican Clayton Williams, to a high of 78 percent in 1998, when Republican George W. Bush trounced Democrat Garry Mauro. Most recently, Perry won 71 percent of the Anglo vote in his victory over Democrat Bill White in 2010.

“As for the Texas governor’s race, Republican front-runner Greg Abbott’s campaign is counting on continued strong support among Anglos and men and a respectable showing among Hispanics,” Jones said. “Democrat Wendy Davis’ campaign hopes to make significant inroads among Anglos and women and boost turnout and vote share among Hispanics.”

The forthcoming report also analyzes Texas’ Hispanic and African-American voting trends, along with voting trends of men and women. Leading up to the election, Jones has written a piece on this topic for Texas Tribune’s “TribTalk.”

News media interested in interviewing Jones on the Texas governor’s race should contact him directly at 832-466-6535 or mpjones@rice.edu.

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Jones’ “TribTalk” perspective, “Texas Democrats’ uphill battle, in numbers,” can be found at: http://tribtalk.org/2014/09/29/texas-democrats-uphill-battle-in-numbers/.

Follow Rice News and Media Relations on Twitter @RiceUNews.

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