ABSTRACT
The political changes that impacted Texas beginning in the 1960s continued through the 1980s and 1990s and into the twenty-first century. By the end of the century, Republicans' domination of state politics approached that of the Democrats only a few decades earlier. In the Republican Party, Clayton Williams, an outspoken West Texas businessman armed with a considerable amount of money and some unusual ideas about modern times, won the nomination. Political analysts offered many explanations for the Bush victory. Traditional Democratic strongholds either voted in smaller numbers turned to the Republican candidate. Texas Republicans elected to Congress in order to expand the Republican majority there. Democrats complained about the inappropriate intervention of the national Republican leadership in Texas affairs. One of the complex problems facing Texas concerns its border with Mexico, issues related to immigration and border security. A number of issues, from immigration and border issues to education and developing a skilled workforce, confront the people of Texas.
