The border counties are probably corrupt as hell, but there's little that can be done about it at the state level. I don't know if you ever heard of the Duke of Duval (county) but we had to bring in the Feds to bust his control over that county.
I don't disagree that poor hispanics will vote Democrat. Unfortunately most poor people in this country have been conditioned to vote for handouts. But in Texas, at least, not all poor people are hispanics, and not all hispanics are poor people. The ones talking to my face happen to be successful professional hispanics because that's the kind of company I work at.
When was the last Republican mayor elected in Houston?