Texas is a very red state when it comes to elections. How red? Well, there are no Democrats holding statewide elective office -- and haven't been for over 20 years now. And in the last presidential election, although President Obama won big nationwide, he lost to the GOP candidate by 16 points in Texas. In fact, Texas hasn't voted for a Democratic presidential candidate since 1976 (36 years ago).But there is a candidate who could change that -- if she chooses to run. It is Hillary Clinton. It's been obvious for a while that the Democratic nomination is hers if she wants it in 2016, and even most Republicans think she would be a formidable national candidate. However, most pundits wouldn't have thought Texas could be in play for the Democrats in 2016. But that is exactly what could happen if Hillary is the Democratic candidate according to a respected poll.
Public Policy Polling recently conducted a survey in Texas between January 24th and 27th -- and the surprising results should have Texas Democrats downright giddy. It seems that at the very least a Hillary Clinton candidacy would put Texas in the "swing state" category. Consider these numbers:
DO YOU HAVE A FAVORABLE OR UNFAVORABLE OPINION OF HILLARY CLINTON?
favorable...............50%
unfavorable...............43%
not sure..............7%
WHO WOULD YOU VOTE FOR IN THESE POSSIBLE 2016 PRESIDENTIAL MATCH-UPS?
Hillary Clinton...............45%
Chris Christie...............43%
not sure...............12%
Hillary Clinton...............50%
Rick Perry...............42%
not sure...............8%
Hillary Clinton...............46%
Marco Rubio...............45%
not sure...............8%
While two of the above match-ups are within the poll's 4 point margin of error, it is obvious that either candidate could carry Texas in the next election. That means Texas would be in play and worthy of Clinton spending money in and campaigning in Texas.
If you have been wondering why the Republicans attacked Hillary over Benghazi recently, now you know. They would love to put a dent in her popularity between now and 2016. Hillary has said she's not interested in running in 2016, but most Democrats believe she'll change her mind and run -- and Republicans are terrified that will happen.
