Let My Texas People Go
The Impact of Texas Electoral Votes on Presidential Elections Since 1972
Look on the web and you’ll see a lot of stories about the possibility of Texas breaking away from the Union and becoming an independent nation. Such talk fills up space in the web ether but it’s unlikely, not to say, impossible for this to actually happen. Remember the Civil War? Been there done that.
But let’s take a look just for fun. After all, Texas has a history as the independent Republic of Texas after it declared its independence from Mexico In 1836. That lasted until 1845 when Texas was admitted to the union and became the 28th state.
In recent years Texas has been a solid red state. The last time Texas voted for a Democrat was in 1976 when Texas voted for Jimmy Carter against Gerald Ford by a margin of about 3%. But that’s getting near 50 years ago!
So, before Texas breaks away let’s look at how important Texas’ electoral votes are to the to the GOP. We’ll take a look at Presidential elections going back to 1972 to see. Keep in mind that with its immense population growth, Texas will have 40 electoral votes in 2024, 15% of the 270 electors needed to become President. Back in 1972 Texas had 26 electoral votes, only 10% of the total needed. Texas will be the second-biggest prize in electoral votes after California’s pot of 54 in 2024.
