On election night, Texas saw three liberal congressmen defeated by their more mainstream (by Texas standards) opponents! Obviously this overshadowed the major gains in the Texas House of Representatives which were far more impressive. While the national election was definitely a referendum on liberal policies and a 2nd chance for the GOP, the results in Texas were clearly a mandate in support of a more conservative Legislature , which could spell trouble for Texas House Speaker Joe Straus. A net gain of 12 seats in the Texas House was seen as a ceiling for the Texas GOP until election night...