https://www.texastribune.org/2026/11/04/texas-democrats-blue-wave-no-spaces-short/

Gov. Greg Abbott, the most powerful and well-resourced governor in modern Texas history, was unseated by Gina Hinojosa.

Attorney General Ken Paxton, who in past elections cast off impeachment, indictment and infidelities, fell to James Talarico in his bid for the U.S. Senate.

Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick, the iron-fisted ruler of the Texas Senate, went down to a little known state representative.

Republicans lost the attorney general’s office, one of the most influential conservative legal positions in the country. The new congressional map Republicans drew yielded them no gains — in fact, they lost one seat overall.

…nothing could have prepared either side for what happened Tuesday night — a full flip of statewide political control on a scale unseen in this state since Reconstruction

  • LibertyLizard@quokk.auEnglish
    23·
    2 days ago

    Reading this as a permanent realignment is wrong-headed. This is one election where the electorate punished an extremely unpopular president. It’s unlikely we see another democratic win like this for some time.

    What this tells me about Florida is that it is a far right state now. It’s about as red as South Carolina, Mississippi, or Montana. In an election where republicans aren’t as hated it will not be close.

    • cruseo@piefed.worldEnglish
      4·
      2 days ago

      I think I explained pretty clearly how the politics of states like Florida are anything but permanent and shouldn’t be taken for granted as such

      • LibertyLizard@quokk.auEnglish
        15·
        2 days ago

        I don’t see that in your comment at all but ok. My bigger point was the state isn’t swinging left, it’s continuing its shift to the right, that longer term change is just being masked by a temporary left electorate that came out this year.

        • cruseo@piefed.worldEnglish
          51·
          2 days ago

          You are factually incorrect. and it’s not just Florida that made a massive shift to the left… It’s pretty much the entire country.

          FYI, the original source for that graphic was the AP, a very reliable source

          • LibertyLizard@quokk.auEnglish
            23·
            24 hours ago

            I’m not denying that democrats won in 2026. Jesus people are so ignorant about how politics work it amazes me. This one election is not a trend. It’s a reflection of a specific mood among the electorate, reflecting the conditions that exist here today. It does not mean that Americans have suddenly become philosophically left overnight. You have to look over several years to see those types of changes. This is literal snowballs prove climate change isn’t real level logic.

            Could this be the beginning of a seismic shift where things never go back right again? Anything is possible but that seems extremely unlikely. Trump is unpopular so 2028 could also be a pretty blue electorate but beyond that I expect reversion to the mean.

            Florida did not move left as much as the rest of the country. Again, this means, setting aside this one election, that Florida over the long term is continuing to become more conservative over time.

            • cruseo@piefed.worldEnglish
              2·
              23 hours ago

              Florida did not move left as much as the rest of the country. Again, this means, setting aside this one election, that Florida over the long term is continuing to become more conservative over time.

              Shifting the goal posts still doesn’t make you right.

              At this point, you’re just arguing with established facts, and you’re clearly trolling.

              Blocked