It’s been more than three decades since Texas went blue in a presidential election, but a top Republican there fears that the GOP may not have the state’s 38 electoral votes in the bag in 2016 if Hillary Clinton is at the top of the Democratic ticket.
Steve Munisteri, chairman of the Texas GOP, told Real Clear Politics in a story published Friday that Clinton would strip the state of its “solid Republican” status and insisted that national Republicans are taking her candidacy seriously — even in the crimson red Lone Star State.
“If she’s the nominee, I would say that this is a ‘lean Republican state’ but not a ‘solid Republican state,'” Munisteri said. “I dont know anyone nationally who’s scoffing at this. The national party leadership is aware and tells me they’re taking it seriously.”
A survey released late last month from Democratic-leaning Public Policy Polling showed Clinton more than holding her own in Texas when matched up against potential 2016 contenders such as Sen. Marco Rubio (R-FL) and New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie (R). Democrats have not carried Texas in a presidential election since 1976, when former President Jimmy Carter won the state.
