Recent Democratic victories in Texas may not be a harbinger that things are about to change for Democratic races across the nation, but they are a sign that the far right’s hold on American politics could be cracking. Christian Menefee’s win in a U.S. House runoff election last Saturday is one such sign.. After the 18th Congressional District position was left vacant since last March by the death of Rep. Sylvester Turner, the people there had no legislative representation.
With the former Harris County Attorney’s victory, the Republican party’s slim majority has now thinned to 218-214. “You’ve gone nearly a year without hearing from the people of the 18th Congressional District of Texas,” Menefee said after the election, speaking directly to Donald Trump. “The results here tonight are a mandate for me to work as hard as I can to oppose your agenda.”
Elsewhere in Texas, Taylor Rehmet’s 14-point victory in a special election for the Texas State Senate was cause for surprise because the win came in a red district Trump won by 17 points in 2024. Ken Martin, chair of the Democratic National Committee, said it is certainly a positive outcome for “everyday working people.”
However, the news is not all good from the Lone Star state. Last Friday, Texas A&M University announced that its certificate program in Women’s and Gender Studies will be ending. While that is probably welcome for Trump’s educational advocates, it’s a terrible setback for students desiring such a syllabus and course of study.
According to one report, “Texas A & M’s re-examination of its core curriculum and degree programs charts the path forward for other universities that want to ensure their degree programs are high-quality, value-neutral, transparent, and cost-efficient. Others should follow the university’s example.” We might add that they are free of any tendency toward subscribing to diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) precepts.
While we hail the new Black congressmembers, the state senate flip in Texas, and all the possibly good implications these may have, the educational turnabout is a terrible foreboding.