AUSTIN, Texas (AP) _ National Democrats poured manpower and money into turning out Texans on Election Day.
They’d hoped to reach millions of first-time voters who cast ballots for President Barack Obama in 2008, but it didn’t pay off.
A national GOP wave also washed through conservative Texas, where Gov. Rick Perry won re-election and the GOP again swept all statewide offices. Republicans amassed an even larger majority in the Texas House.
State Democratic Party chairman Boyd Richie said Wednesday the Republican victories were part of a national GOP tide and shouldn’t be seen as an endorsement of the Republicans’ record in Texas.
But Perry, who defeated Democrat Bill White, said it means voters believe Republicans are leading the state in the right direction.
(Copyright 2010 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)