Thread by @Noahpinion

Yes, Beto lost in Texas.

But he proved - especially to Texans - that Texas is now a purple state.

Ultimately, that's more important than one Senate seat.

I grew up in Texas, and over my lifetime I watched my hometown shift from red to blue. And I watched the big cities where my friends live shift from red to blue.

Beto's 48.5% of the vote was no fluke or one-off.

Texas is a purple state now.

Why is Texas a purple state now? My bet is that it's not just because of racial demographics or increased Hispanic turnout. My guess is that it's also:

A) A bunch of left-leaning folks moving to Dallas, Austin and Houston

B) A less-religious younger generation

More broadly, Texas seems to be experiencing the same changes that have happened in Virginia and (to a lesser extent) North Carolina.

A Southern state opts for growth, development, and a modern economy.

But that process changes the political climate of the state.

The states of the "New South" are pragmatic and development-oriented.

They know that the path to economic growth involves high-tech businesses, great universities, urbanization, and immigration.

But that's also the path to blue-state-hood.
brookings.edu/blog/the-avenu…

In the modern economy, each state has a choice: Economic prosperity and social modernization, or neither. It's very hard to achieve the former while keeping the latter forever at bay.

Texas looks to have made the smart choice.

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