At the crux of the nation’s hyperpartisan political and culture wars stand Texas and Florida, the far-right Republican axis, whose right-wing trifectas not only survived the midterms but emerged stronger, bolder, and bigger. While the widely expected GOP “red wave” fizzled in much of the nation, Texas added two seats to its predominantly Republican congressional delegation and Florida, until recently a purple battleground state, fell fully into Republican hands.
Democrats surprised nearly everyone by defeating many candidates backed by former President Donald Trump, holding onto the majority in the U.S. Senate and losing fewer seats than expected in the House. But the Republican victories in Texas and Florida—with large delegations in Congress, baskets of electoral votes (Texas 40, Florida 30), and enormous resources—underscore fundamental divisions in the country and leave little doubt that these second and third megastates, after California, are playing a definitive role in shaping the political direction of the country.
For some time now, population experts and political scientists have relied on Texas and Florida, the two states with the biggest population growth in the past few years, to give us a lens into the country’s economic, political, and demographic trajectory.
