AUSTIN (KLIF/WBAP) – Hillary Clinton believes she will be the Democratic Party nominee for the presidency and thinks she can win Texas in the November General Election.
No Democratic candidate for president has won Texas in forty years when Jimmy Carter defeated Gerald Ford, but Clinton told New York magazine if blacks and Latinos get to the polls she could win the state’s 38 electoral votes.
Political observers don’t think any Democrat can carry Texas. The Texas Tribune points out that Wendy Davis used a similar strategy two years ago, hoping to draw minorities to the polls in her bid to become governor. Davis lost that election to Republican Greg Abbott by 20 points.
Still, this presidential election cycle is far from normal politically. With higher disapproval ratings than any primary candidates in modern history, Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump are changing the political landscape. Red states and blue states are restless and in some cases could shift in either direction. Texas may be one of those cases. If Clinton chooses former San Antonio Mayor(and current Obama Cabinet member) Julían Castro as a running mate it’s barely conceivable that she could generate enough excitement among Texas minorities to beat Trump.
Party strategists think it’s highly unlikely, but these are the same political professionals who gave Donald Trump no chance to win the Republican nomination.
