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Wayne J. Thorburn

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Red State: An Insider's Story of How the GOP Came to Dominate Texas Politics (Jack and Doris Smothers Series in Texas History, Life, and Culture Book 42) Kindle Edition

by Wayne Thorburn (Author) Format: Kindle Edition

4.5 17 ratings

Part of: Jack and Doris Smothers Series in Texas History, Life, and Culture (20 books)

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A political scientist and Republican party insider examines how Texas made its dramatic shift from Democratic stronghold to GOP dominance.

In November 1960, the Democratic party dominated Texas. Democrats held all thirty statewide elective positions as well as the entire state legislature. Fifty years later, this stronghold had not only been lost—it had reversed. In November 2010, Republicans controlled every statewide elective office, as well as the Texas Senate and House of Representatives. The state’s congressional delegation in Washington was comprised of twenty-five Republicans and nine Democrats.

Red State explores why this transformation took place and what these changes imply for the future of Texas politics. Wayne Thorburn analyzes a wealth of data to show how changes in the state’s demographics—including an influx of new residents, the shift from rural to urban, and the growth of the Mexican American population—have moved Texas through three stages of party competition, from two-tiered politics to two-party competition, and then to the return to one-party dominance, this time by Republicans.

Thorburn reveals that the shift from Democratic to Republican governance has been driven not by any change in Texans’ ideological perspective or public policy orientation—even when Texans were voting Democrat, conservatives outnumbered liberals or moderates—but by the Republican party’s increasing identification with conservatism since 1960.

Editorial Reviews

Review

Review"Red State is critical reading for anyone looking to understand Texas's dramatic political changes of the last fifty years. Thorburn takes a deep dive into the state's politics from 1960 to 2010, presenting an insightful look at our state's demographic, economic, and political changes. If you want to know the Lone Star State's future, read this book about its recent past first." (Karl Rove)

"Red State is not only a history of the Republican party; it is necessarily also a history of the Texas Democratic party. Everyone with an interest in Texas politics and the shift from Democratic to Republican dominance since the 1950s needs to read this book. This history continues to inform Texas politics today." (Paul Burka, Senior Executive Editor, Texas Monthly)

"Red State is not only a history of the Republican party; it is necessarily also a history of the Texas Democratic party. Everyone with an interest in Texas politics and the shift from Democratic to Republican dominance since the 1950s needs to read this book. This history continues to inform Texas politics today." (Paul Burka, Senior Executive Editor, Texas Monthly)

Review

"Red State is critical reading for anyone looking to understand Texas’s dramatic political changes of the last fifty years. Thorburn takes a deep dive into the state’s politics from 1960 to 2010, presenting an insightful look at our state’s demographic, economic, and political changes. If you want to know the Lone Star State’s future, read this book about its recent past first." (Karl Rove)

"Red State is not only a history of the Republican party; it is necessarily also a history of the Texas Democratic party. Everyone with an interest in Texas politics and the shift from Democratic to Republican dominance since the 1950s needs to read this book. This history continues to inform Texas politics today." (Paul Burka, Senior Executive Editor, Texas Monthly)

Product details

ASIN ‏ : ‎ B00NC5QWCU
Publisher ‏ : ‎ University of Texas Press; Reprint edition (September 1, 2014)
Publication date ‏ : ‎ September 1, 2014
Language ‏ : ‎ English
File size ‏ : ‎ 15611 KB
Text-to-Speech ‏ : ‎ Enabled
Screen Reader ‏ : ‎ Supported
Enhanced typesetting ‏ : ‎ Enabled
X-Ray ‏ : ‎ Not Enabled
Word Wise ‏ : ‎ Enabled
Sticky notes ‏ : ‎ On Kindle Scribe
Print length ‏ : ‎ 311 pages

Best Sellers Rank: #836,871 in Kindle Store (See Top 100 in Kindle Store)
- #198 in History of U.S. Immigration
- #205 in Political Parties (Kindle Store)
- #343 in Campaigns & Elections

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4.5 17 ratings

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Wayne J. Thorburn

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WAYNE THORBURN has spent a lifetime of involvement in conservative and Republican politics.

He was executive director of Young Americans for Freedom in the early 1970s and then held the same position for five years with the Republican Party of Texas. Formerly a political science faculty member at three universities, he received his PhD in Government & Politics from the University of Maryland. Wayne was a delegate to two GOP national conventions and

held appointments in the Reagan and George H. W. Bush administrations. Wayne and his wife, Judith, have lived in Austin, Texas since 1977.

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J. Myers

Lots of great data, useful summary of notable events, excelent analysis in the past chapter.

Reviewed in the United States on January 24, 2024

Verified Purchase

I skipped some of the charts but I was glad they were there. The text explained the big picture of what they showed so I only had to study the ones that I wanted to dig in to. It was an excellent way to present volumes of information while the the text maintained the thread of the trends.

As a long-time Texan I found many colorful characters missing, but to include them all would have distracted from what the author was trying to do, which was to keep the focus on when and how Texas changed. Texas changed parties because the parties changed, essentially flipping agendas during the time covered by this book. So the book describes how this happened in this state and its regions.

The last chapter was worth the book, and the last chapter read better because I had read the book. This one of the best constructed histories I have ever read.

The last chapter is actually just a re-statement of what Texans know deep down. Texas is a conservative state. What makes me sad is that the present version of political conservatism is not what I grew up with. In my heart conservatism is about taking care of ourselves as individuals and a community and a nation, which included caring for our land and our environment. It also included letting other people have opinions that differed from ours and still being friends.

Today's conservatism has not been helped by the hardening of party lines that mean that both parties have to sign on to a list of priorities that leave little room for candidates to be seen as individuals. This has not affected the Presidency as much, but we can see it in Congress, as leaders berate their party associates for wanting to support or not support a list of issues set out by the party, whether this is right for their state or congressional district.

I am reading this book together with The Polarizers, which explains how the parties got this way, and the two books inform each other. I am also reading American Schism, which traces the conservative/liberal views of America from before the revolution to the present. That goes to a deeper level, the inbuilt division of beliefs, and also follows them related to political parties over time. I am reading about each time period in the two books together. They are all very informative and readable.

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rwolg

a decent source of information

Reviewed in the United States on August 2, 2022

Verified Purchase

While there is a triumphalist flavor to the story here, there is a lot of useful narrative and statistical information. I'm planning a first trip to the state and am reading up in preparation and the book has given me a significantly deeper understanding of Texas politics.

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Chris Heagerty

A Must read for Any Texas Political Junkie

Reviewed in the United States on October 23, 2015

Verified Purchase

This is very well researched and factual, but told also with a Texas sense of humor. I had always wondered how LBJ's state became so red and this is a very logical treatise of what turned Texas so conservative. Thorburn knows his stuff and his writing is clear, logical and well documented. Bravo!

2 people found this helpful

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joeychan

My new favorite book

Reviewed in the United States on October 13, 2016

Verified Purchase

This book is now my favorite book. I like how the author divided Texas counties into four areas (big six, suburbs, other metro and rural) and described how each area works politically.

One person found this helpful

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Robert Pratt

Fills in many gaps.

Reviewed in the United States on May 13, 2015

Verified Purchase

Among the best I've read on Texas political history. It fills in many gaps for longtime activists and Thorburn has managed to present numbers in a fun and readable way - a big task.

2 people found this helpful

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Amazon Customer

A Great Book Nobody Will Read, But Should

Reviewed in the United States on May 3, 2016

Verified Purchase

Informative. Wish we could have read this 30 years ago. Now both parties seem self-destructive. Wish I could have coffee with the author.

4 people found this helpful

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Patricia James