The tables are going to turn on the GOP in Texas very soon. The Latino population is exploding, while old white people are dying off. I could see the state turning blue within the next 8-10 years.
I wouldn't hold your breath or it will be YOU that turns blue. I wish we could just evolve into a contested state. I'd like national candidates to actually have to worry about getting our vote.
Not really - the issue here is the kind of race and the available information to voters about an obscure office. Basically - this Porter character apparently presented nothing to voters other than his name. Nothing else, no campaigning, no qualifications, (which apparently, is because he had none). In the absence of some interveniing negative factor with respect to Carillo(which there doesn't appear to be, at this time), it's hard to think of what other basis (aside from name) that Porter crushed him among GOP voters. Especially given that Carillo ostensibly appears to have a modicum of campaigning/qualificaitons etc.
Didn't I already say that if this account is accurate (that the Porter character basically did nothing) that your theory is correct?
I'm just talking about the analogy really, in this case we have information that is purely boiled down to name (hispanic vs. non-hispanic) without any canvassing etc. hell if we used your sheila jackson lee example, in the absence of other information, if you just saw "Lee" on the ballot you might think she was Korean.
I don't live in Texas, but I still like to follow politics down there. Texas is evolving into a blue state. Hell, Obama got more electoral votes there than Hillary in the Dem primary. That alone should tell you something.
What's really fascinating about this is the potential. It seems like if you have the right name, you just file for office and depending on your timing/opponent, you might just get lucky without actually running a campaign. It's not like Railroad Commish is a nothing-office either - it's a pretty powerful position in Texas.
It's an amazing sociological experiment. Just find a minority candidate, change your name to John Smith, and run against him. You could launch a political career despite having no experience or tangible skills.
Eddie Murphy changed his name or something like that to win a dead congressman's seat in the movie "The Distinguished Gentleman". It's not the exact same scenario, but similar strategy.
All this while being the first Prince of Zamunda to abandon the arranged marriage tradition. He's quite accomplished.
Carrillo certainly wasn't the only one. http://blogs.chron.com/txpotomac/2010/03/analysis_whats_in_a_name_in_th.html
