After Tuesday's election, Republicans warned that a Democratic takeover of state government would end the Texas economic model. Cody Campbell, a Texas Tech University regent and GOP megadonor, said the result would harm the state's economic success. Outgoing Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick, in his concession statement, said Democratic policies would fail.
Economists and political observers said the state's economic fundamentals are unlikely to change soon. Brandon Rottinghaus, a University of Houston political science professor, said Democrats needed to convince voters and employers that Democratic control would not rewrite the state's economic model. Economists credit Texas's growth to its large population, diverse industries, natural resources such as oil and gas, and its size and location on the Gulf of Mexico.
Jake Bradt, an assistant professor at the University of Texas at Austin, said policy stability draws businesses to Texas, including a constitutional ban on a state income tax. He said recent Republican-passed tax policies would be hard to undo while the GOP still controls the Senate. Democrats are inheriting a state government with a balanced budget, the story said.