Opinion: Sorry haters, Texas isn't turning blue in this election – or anytime soon

Something about Texas makes Democrats believe it will turn blue every election, despite so much evidence to the contrary.

Maybe Texas is the object of progressives' fantasies and frustrations because of all the heavy-hitting Republicans with oil money, the presence of so much old-fashioned cowboy masculinity and its booming economy, which is the eighth largest in the world.

Texas is so conservative that if the state were to turn blue someday, it would be a massive indicator that America is veering significantly leftward.

Sorry, liberals. It will not happen this year. And likely not any time soon.

Texas isn't just a red state, it's a beacon of conservative values. It's that way because that's how those of us who call Texas home want it to be. We live in a place that reflects our views, and our views are reflected where we live − a symbiotic circle with liberty at its core.

Trying to turn Texas blue is a futile exercise for Democrats. But it doesn't seem to keep them from trying anyway.

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Take the U.S. Senate race between incumbent Republican Ted Cruz and Dallas Democratic Rep. Colin Allred.

Texas-based publications and national news outlets have been quick to observe how tight the Allred vs. Cruz Senate race has appeared to be in this election cycle.

I wrote about it in September, and it was tighter then than I expected.

Allred boasts some great qualities: He's personable and has worked hard to look like a moderate Democrat in a red state. (That's the only way he could get elected in Texas.)

It's a formula that's been tried before, as anyone who has observed the failed political career of Beto O'Rourke knows.

With a few years on the El Paso City Council and then in the U.S. House of Representative under his belt, O'Rourke, known in Texas simply as "Beto," ran for the Senate against Cruz in 2018 and lost by about 2.6 percentage points. Undeterred, he ran again against Gov. Greg Abbott in 2022 and lost handily, by more than 10 points.

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Texas Democrats hope Allred can do what O'Rourke could not do: Finally secure a Senate seat to represent liberals, the majority of whom reside in the Lone Star state's urban areas.

But a Democrat hasn't won statewide office in Texas in 30 years. That's back when Bill Clinton was still in the White House and movie fans flocked to Blockbuster (look it up, Gen Z) on Friday nights.

For Democrats, O'Rourke's losses were mystifying. He was charismatic and enthusiastically backed by Hollywood and the national media. But he ultimately failed for the same reason Allred will likely fail.

Allred, like O'Rourke, just doesn't represent the views of most Texans.

Cruz better represents Texans

Allred has presented himself as a bipartisan moderate to gain traction in Texas, but it's a ruse. He's more aligned with the progressive views of Vice President Kamala Harris than it appears at first glance.

While in Congress, Allred has shown himself to be a typical liberal who votes for measures that increase government spending and expand its reach into our lives, like the Inflation Reduction Act and the $2 trillion Build Back Better Act.

Cruz may not come across as likable as Allred or O'Rourke. He can be both nerdy and brash. He reminds me of that kid in class who tells the teacher she forgot to assign homework.

Cruz seems the most human when other conservatives interview him, an understandable trait given the media's obvious scorn. But that also means many people don't see a side of him that's relatable and relaxed.

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Cruz is an easy target for the mainstream media to skewer, as is often the case with conservative politicians. But none of that means he has done a poor job or has failed to represent his constituents. At 45%, his approval rating is 5 points higher than his disapproval rating heading into Tuesday.

Cruz favors policies that lower taxes for Texas residents, improve local businesses and boost military contracts for Texas companies.

Even the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, which endorsed Allred in his 2020 and 2022 House races, now endorses Cruz.

Polls show Cruz ahead by 4 to 5 percentage points. But political observers with experience in Texas say the race isn't as close as portrayed.

Brendan Steinhauser, an Austin-based political consultant, told me: " I think he is going to overperform the polling, and beat Colin Allred by a wider margin than many people expect."

Texas is the American dream

I interviewed Gov. Abbott a few weeks ago and asked him about the Cruz vs. Allred race and if Texas is turning blue after all. He chalked up Allred's initial momentum to his head start running advertising campaigns well before Cruz.

"So there is a political and ideological shift in the state of Texas, but it's different than what people think," Abbott said. "Republicans in Texas are picking up larger swaths of the Hispanic vote. We're converting people to the Republican side that historically has been Democrat."

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For a lot of Texans, our state is the epitome of the American dream: Here, we live life on our own terms, and liberty is the pursuit with happiness the result.

It's not just Texas' natural beauty and resources that make it incredible. It's also the conservative ideas reflected in our state and local governments that allow its best attributes to shine. It's not perfect, of course, and the lawmakers here aren't without flaws. Even so, the emphasis on freedom comes from core conservative principles.

That's why it will not turn blue any time soon.

Texas isn't great in spite of its conservatism, but because of it.

Nicole Russell is an opinion columnist with USA TODAY. She lives in Texas with her four kids. Sign up for her newsletter, The Right Track, and get it delivered to your inbox.

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This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Opinion: Will Texas go blue? Democrats' dreams crumble with Allred