Democratic Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez of New York said it is only a matter of time before Texas becomes a Democratic state as she endorsed a couple of congressional candidates in front of a crowd in the Lone Star State.
The congresswoman made a pitch for Jessica Cisneros in the 28th Congressional District and Greg Casar in the 35th during her stop in San Antonio on Saturday as the candidates prepare for their primary elections, which take place next month. Ocasio-Cortez said the two congressional candidates have her support in part because they back Medicare for all, unions and abortion rights.
"Here's what's exciting about Jessica's race and Greg's race, is that if we flip Texas, we flip the country ... Texas turning blue is inevitable. The only question is when," Ocasio-Cortez said. "We are going to fight for a living wage, we are going to make sure we unionize the hell out of this state... and we're going to make sure that not one dime is made exploitatively across any worker, especially the undocumented."
“We flip Texas, we flip the country,” @AOC says. pic.twitter.com/Eg3c1vUj7C
— Priscilla Aguirre (@CillaAguirre) February 12, 2022
Republicans have become wary of Texas flipping as the GOP's margin of victory in the state has slimmed in recent years.
Texas Sen. Ted Cruz (R) said in 2019 that the race for the state's 38 electoral votes in the 2020 presidential election would be close.
"If we lose Texas, it's game over," Cruz told a Christian Science Monitor breakfast at the time. "I don't believe Texas will turn blue, but central to that is we're going to have to work to communicate and turn people out."
Former President Donald Trump won Texas in 2020, winning 52.1 percent of the vote compared to President Joe Biden’s 46.5 percent.
Some Texas cities, such as Austin, have become increasingly blue recently as young adults flee other states for Texas.
But Cisneros and Casar would not move the needle in turning the state blue should they win their races as the seats they are running for are already held by Democrats. Therefore, Ocasio-Cortez's endorsements will not impact the political makeup of the state.