The Democratic Legislative Campaign Committee on Wednesday revealed it is expanding its target list of seats to flip in Texas’s Legislature.
The DLCC, which operates as the Democratic Party’s campaign arm aiming to boost its presence in state legislatures across the country, announced it is adding a dozen more seats in the Texas state House to its list, in addition to the three districts it was already backing. The development comes as Democrats believe momentum is growing in their bid to grow their presence in the deep-red Lone Star state, in part due to state Rep. James Talarico’s performance in one of the country’s most closely watched Senate races.
“As the Texas GOP rallies around Ken Paxton and an extreme slate of MAGA candidates up and down the ballot, we are ready to make big gains for Democrats in the Texas Legislature,” DLCC President Heather Williams said in a statement targeting Attorney General Ken Paxton, the Republican candidate challenging Talarico in the tight Senate race. “The DLCC is proud to partner with these target race candidates who are laser-focused on bringing down costs for Texans and gradually changing the face of power in Texas.”
The effort marks the first time national Democrats are investing resources in Texas legislative races since 2020, according to the Texas Tribune. Texas is viewed as a tough state for Democrats, as the Republican Party controls the offices of governor, secretary of state, attorney general, and both chambers of the state legislature. In the state House, which the DLCC is eyeing, Republicans hold 88 seats to Democrats’ 62.
Among the seats the DLCC is looking to flip are state House Districts 108 and 112, which are held by Republican state Reps. Morgan Meyer and Angie Chen Button. In the San Antonio area, the DLCC is aiming to oust Republican state Rep. Marc LaHood in District 121 and plant a Democrat in District 118.
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In South Texas, the DLCC is targeting state Rep. Denise Villalobos in state House District 34, as well as Republican state Rep. Janie Lopez’s majority-Latino seat in District 37.
Several of the seats the DLCC is eyeing in North Texas pose a greater challenge for flipping, as the GOP incumbents won them by sizable margins. Districts 61, 67, and 94 are respectively represented by Republican state Reps. Keresa Richardson, Jeff Leach, and retiring Tony Tinderholt.