The Texas Majority PAC, a political action group backed by high-profile philanthropist George Soros, seeks to shift the color of Texas‘ political landscape from red to blue this year. Soros, as a significant patron of the Democrats and with a fortune of $6.7 billion, is funding part of the PAC’s operations, which includes a team of consultants from Beto O’Rourke’s gubernatorial campaign. As per records noted by the Texas Tribune, the PAC has raised an impressive $2.25 million since it originated following the midterm elections in 2022.
Soros, through his participation with the group, has been a key contributor, providing notable amounts to Democrats in locations such as Dallas County, Cameron County, and Hidalgo County. Katherine Fischer, the acting deputy executive director of the group, expressed the PAC’s ambitious plans during an interview with the Texas Tribune. ‘It’s a colossal undertaking that will require a lot more funding and a greater expansion of our full-time staff,’ Fischer said, outlining the PAC’s extensive strategy and mission across the state.
Parallel to these efforts, Voto Latino, a progressive organization, is also determined to tip Texas towards the Democrats – intending to leverage the state’s diverse demographics bolstered by rising immigration rates. In a commentary piece for Democracy Docket, Maria Teresa Kumar, CEO of Voto Latino, appealed to Democrats to utilize the country’s persistently high lawful immigration levels – noting that every year sees the arrival of over a million legal immigrants.
Recent data from the U.S. Census Bureau supports Kumar’s argument. The numbers confirm that the Latino population in Texas now outnumbers non-Hispanic whites – a demographic evolution decades in the making, with far-reaching implications for the future politics of the state. This critical change is largely attributed to the disproportionately younger Latino demographic.
In the context of Texas, almost one-fourth of the state’s population under the age of 18 identifies as Latino. The state has seen over 800,000 Latino individuals reach voting age since 2020. This young, burgeoning demographic forms the backbone of the state’s future voter base, with their potential sway echoing the promise of momentous political transformations.
However, the significance of their potential influence must not be underestimated or presumptuously taken for granted. Equally important within Texas’ landscape are the state’s residents born outside the U.S., who tend to favor Democratic candidates. Specifically, the Indian American community, comparable in influence to the Black American voting bloc, comprises a considerable portion of this population.
Research conducted in October 2020 revealed that over 452,000 Indian Americans reside in Texas, trailing only California, which boasts over 815,000 Indian Americans. In the lead-up to the 2020 presidential elections, a survey showed that 65 percent of Indian Americans in Texas expressed their support for the then-Democratic candidate, Joe Biden, over then-President Donald Trump – a demographic trend mirrored by about 70 percent of the Indian American population.
Recently, Texas Governor Greg Abbott visited Mumbai, India, with the intent of enticing Indian businesses to expand their operations and talents to Texas. This strategy, critics argue, could augur increasing immigration from India to Texas, thereby possibly influencing the state’s political inclination.
Over the past few years, the Democrats have established the lofty objective of assisting one million legal immigrants with becoming naturalized American citizens ahead of the upcoming Presidential election. This initiative aligns with their strategy of garnering increased electoral support to enhance their party’s prospects.
Numerous studies have consistently found a correlation between the extent of a region’s foreign-born population and its predilection to vote Democrat over Republican. Ronald Brownstein, from The Atlantic, reported in 2019 that around 90 percent of House congressional districts with a foreign-born populace surpassing the national average were won by Democrats—implying that districts with over 15 percent foreign-born population have a 90 percent propensity to elect Democrats.
Such demographic transformations executed through amplified immigration have been identified by several platforms, including the Washington Post, the New York Times, the Los Angeles Times, the Atlantic, Axios, and the Wall Street Journal, as pivotal factors tipping the national political scales. Axios pronounced in 2019 that, ‘The single biggest threat to Republicans’ long-term viability is demographics.’
The U.S., with its wide-ranging immigrant acceptance policies, already boasts the most extensive immigration system globally. Predictions suggest that by 2044, the system will welcome approximately 15 million new foreign-born electoral members. Around eight million of these voters are projected to arrive by legal ‘chain migration,’ where newly naturalized citizens can sponsor an unlimited number of foreign relatives to immigrate to the U.S.
Given the steady march of demographic shifts and immigration, the national political scene stands on the precipice of considerable change. Population changes continue to be an influential factor in originating new voting blocs, with the potential to redefine the country’s future political landscape.
The sublime power of demographic shifts is not lost on either political party – while Republicans are apprehensive of losing to these numbers, Democrats, on the other hand, are capitalizing on these demographic transformations in an attempt to gain a stronger foothold.
But as the proverbial dust settles, Latinos, Asian Americans, Indian Americans, and numerous other immigrant groups will continue to exercise their democratic rights in their new home. Their collective decisions have the potential to shape not only their futures but also the future of an entire nation.
As the scenario continues to unfold, chilly November elections will serve as sobering reminders of the ever-changing American demographic landscape, awaiting the dawn of a new era where ‘the numbers simply do not lie.’
