Mark Z. Barabak: In two decades, much of the West has turned blue. Why hasn't Texas?
Over the last 20 years, the West has politically transformed. The onetime Republican stronghold has become a Democratic bastion, dramatically reshaping the fight for the White House as Colorado, New Mexico and Oregon joined California and Washington in the ranks of solid-blue states. Arizona and Nevada, once reliably red, have become two of the country's prime presidential battlegrounds. But ...
Over the last 20 years, the West has politically transformed.
The onetime Republican stronghold has become a Democratic bastion, dramatically reshaping the fight for the White House as Colorado, New Mexico and Oregon joined California and Washington in the ranks of solid-blue states.
Arizona and Nevada, once reliably red, have become two of the country's prime presidential battlegrounds.
But Texas hasn't budged.
In 2020, Joe Biden lost the state by 5 percentage points. It was the best showing by a Democratic presidential candidate in nearly a quarter century. But that performance now seems more like a high-water mark than a foundation on which to build.
"You're just not
