Tower’s Victory in Texas

I spent five days in Houston after the election. During that time I didn’t see a single automobile bumper sticker for William Blakley. John Tower signs were everywhere. It wasn’t that Blakley supporters had, resignedly, stripped the stickers off their cars after his defeat; they had never stuck them on in the first place. It takes political devotion to walk about in the hot Texas sun placing campaign literature in automobiles parked at massive shopping centers, and in this campaign there was none, or very little, for Blakley. The youth, the enthusiasm, the energy were for John Tower. Even though Blakley himself is conservative.

What happened? The events that led to this year’s success began three years ago, when the Liberals were at the height of their power in Texas. At that time the Republican Party was not considered a serious political entity anywhere outside of Dallas, where it had elected the eloquent conservative, Representative Bruce Alger. The ultra-Liberal Ralph Yarborough had forged an overwhelming coalition of Mexican, Negro and organized labor votes to defeat William Blakley in the Democratic senatorial primary. Liberals took over the party machinery in Houston, San Antonio, Beaumont and Port Arthur. The greatest loss of the conservative Democrats was in Harris County, which contains Houston’s one million people, one-eighth of the state’s population. There the Liberals won the race for the state Senate and all eight positions to the state House. Industrialization and the growth of organized labor was turning Texas into an ADA-Liberal state.

DF

About the Author

David Franke

Featured Tags

I spent five days in Houston after the election. During that time I didn’t see a single automobile bumper sticker for William Blakley. John Tower signs were everywhere. It wasn’t that Blakley supporters had, resignedly, stripped the stickers off their cars after his defeat; they had never stuck them on in the first place. It takes political devotion to walk about in the hot Texas sun placing campaign literature in automobiles parked at massive shopping centers, and in this campaign there was none, or very little, for Blakley. The youth, the enthusiasm, the energy were for John Tower. Even though Blakley himself is conservative.

What happened? The events that led to this year’s success began three years ago, when the Liberals were at the height of their power in Texas. At that time the Republican Party was not considered a serious political entity anywhere outside of Dallas, where it had elected the eloquent conservative, Representative Bruce Alger. The ultra-Liberal Ralph Yarborough had forged an overwhelming coalition of Mexican, Negro and organized labor votes to defeat William Blakley in the Democratic senatorial primary. Liberals took over the party machinery in Houston, San Antonio, Beaumont and Port Arthur. The greatest loss of the conservative Democrats was in Harris County, which contains Houston’s one million people, one-eighth of the state’s population. There the Liberals won the race for the state Senate and all eight positions to the state House. Industrialization and the growth of organized labor was turning Texas into an ADA-Liberal state.