All your documentation aside, please don’t forget an act of extreme political courage in 2003. Rick Perry called one special session after another to bring about a mid-decade congressional redistricting, in an effort to correct the bizarre gerrymandering that had been put into place by ultra liberal Democrat Martin Frost.
Until then, Texans in the aggregate had been giving 60+% of their vote to GOP congressional candidates, but only wound up with 40% of the actual congressional seats. Perry stood firm in the face of a media onslaught never before seen in Texas. On two occasions, the Democrat state reps and senators left the state to prevent the state legislature from having a quorum. (State reps fled to Oklahoma, Senators went to New Mexico).
Once having succeeded in redrawing the lines, Texas replaced six Democrats with conservative Republicans, incluing Ted Poe, Louie Gomert and Randy Neubauer. (We still need to defeat Chet Edwards, which may happen this year).
I will always appreciate this act of political courage and resolve by Perry.
Good points; and we should give Perry credit for other things such as his very pro gun rights record.
But this is 7 years later, and he's the inferior candidate to Medina.
The business margins tax and the HPV vaccine were two things among several that tipped the scale.