A Republican managed to flip a Democratic-held Texas state House seat Tuesday in a district that President Joe Biden won in November by 14 points.
While most of the attention nationally was on Republican victories across Virginia and a surprisingly close race in New Jersey, one Texas special election could be a sign that Democrats are in trouble nationwide.
Republican John Lujan defeated Democrat Frank Ramirez 51 percent to 49 percent on Tuesday to take the Texas House District 118 race, The Texas Tribune reported.
That seat was previously held by Democrat Leo Pacheco, who resigned to take a teaching position at San Antonio College.
The victory is sure to have resounding effects far away for Democrats, as District 118, the southern portion of San Antonio, was won by Biden in 2020 by 14 points.
Lujan, who previously held the seat, claimed victory in a statement.
“I’m a blessed man to win this for the second time, and to be the only Republican ever to win this seat, I think, is really important for us down here,” he told the Tribune. He also labeled the win as one for “conservatism” among Hispanics.
Ramirez conceded the race in a statement to the Tribune.
“We didn’t make it over the line tonight … But we gave Texas Republicans a run for their money at every single step,” the Democrat said.
John Lujan, a Republican and a retired firefighter, won a seat in the Texas House of Representatives on Tuesday, further eroding a Latino electorate that until recently favored Democrats. https://t.co/OJTPVE2F1j
— The New York Times (@nytimes) November 3, 2021
Lujan’s victory came as Democrats attempted to attach the Republican former law enforcement officer and veteran firefighter out of Bexar County to GOP Gov. Greg Abbott.
As Democrats learned in Virginia on Tuesday, running a campaign against a Republican without focusing on the issues in this political climate was not a winning strategy.
Glenn Youngkin’s victory over Democrat Terry McAuliffe in that state’s gubernatorial race came after the latter spent much of the campaign portraying his candidacy as being not only against Youngkin but also against former President Donald Trump.
Trump endorsed Youngkin but did not campaign with or for him leading up to the off-year election. Youngkin, meanwhile, shared a message tailored specifically to Virginians concerned about issues such as education.
The GOP took the gubernatorial race, the lieutenant gubernatorial race and the attorney general’s race.
Lt. Gov.-elect Winsome Sears will be the first black woman to serve in the position, while Attorney General-elect Jason Miyares will be the first Hispanic to be Virginia’s top law enforcement official.
THANK YOU, VIRGINIA! ?? pic.twitter.com/BntaS0hpI7
— Winsome Sears (@WinsomeSears) November 3, 2021
Republicans bruised Democrats up and down the ballot as Republicans also took a majority in the Virginia House of Delegates, the Richmond Times-Dispatch reported.
The Virginia and Texas races, as well as one in New Jersey, sent shockwaves across Washington.
In the New Jersey gubernatorial race, Republican Jack Ciattarelli was still in a fight against incumbent Democratic Gov. Phil Murphy on Wednesday morning as a race that was not on the national radar was still too close to call, according to The New York Times.
This article appeared originally on The Western Journal.
