Could Texas become a swing state?

A group of former Obama campaign staffers today launched a new organization to try turn reliably Republican Texas into a swing state.

The organization, called "Battleground Texas," will mount a multimillion dollar effort over the next several years to apply to the Lone Star State some of the hallmark tools of the Obama campaign: increased voter registration, data-driven voter contacts, and community organizing.

"Here's what we believe: with its diversity and size, Texas should always be a battleground state," Battleground Texas senior adviser Jeremy Bird said on a conference call with reporters. "But for far too long the state of play in Texas has been anything but competitive."

In 2012, Republican Mitt Romney won Texas - and its 38 electoral votes - by almost 16 points. The state last voted for a Democratic presidential candidate in 1976.

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Bird served as the Obama campaign's field director and is now a founding partner of 270 Strategies. Jenn Brown, Obama's Ohio field director, is executive director of Battleground Texas and has relocated to Austin.

"What I saw in Ohio is how every vote matters, and person to person relationships...and targeted voter contact is what won in that state," Brown said. Bird and Brown also pointed to the Obama campaign's successful efforts in Florida, Colorado, and Virginia as models for their Texas plans.

"In Texas there's a similar potential to grow the electorate and to engage new voters," Bird said.

According to the 2010 census, Texas is a majority-minority state where fully 38 percent of residents identify themselves as Hispanic. But the percentage of Texas Hispanics who vote is significantly lower.

Julian Castro, the mayor of San Antonio and the keynote speaker at the 2012 Democratic National Convention, said those voters are not being represented by their elected leaders.

"There's so many people in communities across this state that are being looked over and forgotten by their elected leaders, and it's vital that these people's voices are heard," Castro said.

The organizers of "Battleground Texas" concede that turning Texas blue for the presidency is a long-term goal. They'll begin by getting involved in state and local races in 2014. They have launched a website, Battlegroundtexas.com, to begin online fundraising. They are talking to large-dollar donors as well.

So far, Texas Republicans do not seem overly concerned they will be losing their state any time soon. Gov. Rick Perry, R-Texas, a Texas A&M graduate, put it this way in an interview with the Wall Street Journal: "The University of Texas will change its colors to maroon and white before Texas goes purple, much less blue."

[foo8259]

Yes, due to the exploding Hispanic electorate. Us Republicans will soon, or already may be, outnumbered and possibly out-voted.

[Pope_slow_news]

It soon will be with all the illegal aliena getting amnesty and voting for the Democrats to give them freebies and welfare and food stamps and ObamaCare.
Not to mention fleabaggers from other states heading there in hordes looking for jobs their left wing Democrats are incapable of creating for them and the high taxes in their own Blue States.
East and West coast liberal yuppies are busy destroying Santa Fe and other cities in New Mexico. Denver and Boulder Colorado are starting to look like LA and Frisco California.
Soon they will be broke as well.

[jimox22]

You are right. It's rough living here in Boulder with our 19th lowest tax burden, unemployment rate that is 2% lower than the national average and median income that is $30,000 higher than the national average.

I don't know what my family and I are going to do when we hit rock bottom from our downward spiral and all I am left with is my great high paying job, high quality of life and home that is worth 10% more than when we bought it 3 years ago.

Please do some research before you make claims about things you clearly don't have knowledge of!

[HM8432]

The Castro twins (and Gov. Perry for that matter) need to be careful of what they wish for; where Californians and their ilk are failing, Texans are succeeding.

[GOODBYE-AMERICA--]

Sure it could with all the left wing progressive ilk leaving their Blue State cesspools in the East Coast and California that they have ruined and are starting to move into Texas looking for jobs and a better economy than the left behind. Then like a horde of liberal locusts will destroy those states and move on some where else in Gods Country.
I'm from Colorado and that's what they are doing to my state
They are some of the most unfriendly people and as stupid as dirt.

[jaykay3141]

I've read major parts of both the Old and New Testaments but didn't see any mention that Colorado belongs to God :)

Since Texas has decided to stay in the Union, I guess you can try the slogan "If at first you don't, secede."

PS. I'm somewhat left of center and will stack my brainpower, education, AND common sense against any RWRN. Bzzz, bzzz said the "locust".

[GOODBYE-AMERICA--]

JaySmoker and OutHouse just stay in your progressive cesspool states and don't show your face in Colorado.
We can always break out the old DDT just for you two.

[davidd5063]

"The University of Texas will change its colors to maroon and white" - careful there Ricky, you'll give the FUTURE leaders of Texas an idea.

[roberttxdem]

Perry's next comment will be, "Oops!"