Tarrant Republicans targeted by Democrats turn attention to economy after victories
Going into Tuesday night, Tarrant County Republicans running for the Texas House had one thing in mind: They were going to beat their opposition.
And they did.
House Districts 92, 93, 94, 96 and 97 will be represented by Republicans Jeff Cason, Matt Krause, Tony Tinderholt, David Cook and Craig Goldman. For most of the night, Republicans led and never once looked like they would be overtaken. Their victories keep Tarrant County as a Republican stronghold.
After closing the gap with Republicans in recent years, Tarrant County Democrats heavily targeted these seats in an effort to control the lower chamber, pouring about $5.6 million into the races..
Jim Riddlesperger, a political science professor at TCU, said Democrats can take slight solace in the fact that they have seen growth over the years in Tarrant County.
In 2018, Republicans won these same seats without the huge margin of victory they were used to and the 2020 elections saw Democrats keep up.
But now that it’s all said and done, what will these Republicans be fighting for in Austin when the 87th Legislature begins on Jan. 21, 2021?
Texas budget crisis
Tinderholt, Cook and Krause told the Star-Telegram that they know what to tackle as they make their way to Austin: How will Texas recover from its economic shortfall due to the coronavirus pandemic?
Back in July, amid the coronavirus pandemic and volatile oil prices, Texas projected to end its two-year budget with $11.57 billion less in general revenue funds than previously estimated, leading to a $4.58 billion shortfall.
It’s a stark change from October 2019, when Texas Comptroller Glenn Hegar estimated that the state would have nearly $2.9 billion in surplus.
Krause said the budget is one of the biggest issues going into the next session as the coronavirus pandemic disrupted everyday life. Cook said a large part of lifting up the Texas economy is to make sure the oil and gas industry returns as strong as ever.
In April, oil prices dropped below zero, and experts had warned it could be months or even years before the oil and gas industry is able to fully recover.
Riddlesperger said the Texas economy is also largely driven by sales tax revenue. But there’s a large deficit after after businesses were closed and people feared to go out as the pandemic surged.
Cook suggested that he will push what he and others call the “Texas Model.” This means that he will push for less regulation and taxation as well as making the state a welcoming environment for businesses.
“We want to make sure that people around the country know Texas is open for business,” he said. “We want to be a pro-business leader.”
Riddlesperger said Texas is bound by a balanced budget amendment. This means there are going to be fewer dollars to go around for public education, health care and other services.
He believes that residents will either learn to cope with the virus, which will help bring the economy back, or the virus will continue to suppress economic activity in the state.
Goldman and Cason did not immediately respond for comment.
Redistricting
With Republicans keeping a hold of Tarrant County and the Texas House, they will be able to redraw the districts as in their favor. Mark Jones, a political science professor at Rice University, said Republicans can draw tailor-made legislative districts that will increase their prospects of retaining control of the Texas Senate and House during the next decade.
It also increases the odds of the Republicans retaking control of the U.S. House during the next decade. It’s expected Texas will gain two or three U.S. House seats as census results come in.
“Redistricting is more of a partisan issue,” Jones said. “Through redistricting politicians choose their voters rather than voters choosing their politicians.”
By law, state lawmakers must redraw boundaries for U.S. House and Texas House and Senate legislative districts every 10 years, based on new Census figures. The goal is to make sure all the districts are about the same size and maintain or boost minority percentages.
Because of the ever-growing population in Tarrant County, Jones believes one more state House seat will be added to Tarrant County’s count, bringing the total to 12 seats. Republicans will then have conversations about how they can redraw those in their favor.
Krause said with Republicans keeping control, all signs are looking good going into the redistricting process.
Allison Campolo, founder of Tarrant Together — an organization dedicated to turning Tarrant County blue, said she hopes Republicans draw the districts fairly and not just pack Democrats and people of color into one or two districts while leaving the rest for Republican control.
Bipartisan issues
With these House races showing that Democrats can be competitive, Jones believes Tarrant County Republicans will focus on passing legislation that appeals to all Texans.
This includes passing laws regarding public education, health care, transportation and taxes. A topic that has been the center of attention is the expansion of Medicaid, which Jones believes that Republicans won’t vote to expand.
Republicans lose votes when they try to pass their extreme ideas, Jones said. He fully expects Republicans to be cautious about what bills they introduce and push to pass as they seek re-election.
Tinderholt said that while he’s a Republican, he will go to Austin with everyone’s concern in mind, not just with the needs of his Republican base.
Cook said he wants to work on property tax reform, which is on the minds of all Texans. Cook hopes to do this through review and revision of the property appraisal process.
Krause, who is entering his fifth term, said he wants to continue to work for more transportation, help for medically fragile children and on criminal justice reform.
And whether people voted for him or not, Krause said he will listen to find a way to make everyone work together. The Republican will work on bipartisan issues, but will also work to pass conservative policies such as pro-life and limited government laws.
Rick Barnes, chairman of the Tarrant County Republican Party, said the candidates who won are concerned about keeping taxes low, having quality health care, quality schools and making sure they address the issues that their constituents have.
