With a historic voter turnout in Texas during an unprecedented pandemic, the 2020 general election will likely be studied for years.

President Donald Trump garnered roughly 600 thousand more votes in the Lone Star State than Democratic challenger Joe Biden, upending pundits’ predictions that Texas would turn “blue.”

Democrats did make in-roads, expanding their reach in the suburbs of the state’s biggest cities. However, the GOP earned enough votes statewide to retain control of the state House of Representatives, which will take up the redistricting process when the legislature convenes in 2021.

While Texas remains “red,” the Lone Star State, with its 38 electoral votes, will likely be considered a battleground in future elections. Even after the dust settled in Texas, there was considerable interest in analyzing the election outcomes in the country’s second-largest state.

On December 2, I was invited to speak to a group of journalists from across the U.S. and Germany.

As a fellow of the RIAS Berlin Commission,  I led a virtual discussion touching on the changing political landscape in Texas, notable races, and trends in key demographics.

Since the start of the pandemic, RIAS has hosted nearly 40 ‘Zoom Talks’ with journalists and news makers around the world. The eclectic group of speakers ranged from former Pennsylvania Republican Congressman Charlie Dent, CNN correspondent Richard Roth, Ret. Lt. General Ben Hodges, former U.S. national team soccer coach Jürgen Klinsmann, and numerous journalists from the U.S. and Germany.

The views expressed in this blog do not necessarily reflect the views of KLTV/KTRE-TV or Gray Television. They are solely the opinion of the author. All content © Copyright 2020 Lane Luckie