An indication that Texas politics was growing increasingly conservative came in the election of Republican John Tower to the United States Senate in 1960. He held his office for four terms. Tower was the first Republican from Texas to be elected to the Senate since Reconstruction. Democrat John F. Kennedy was elected president in the 1960 election. As his Vice President, Kennedy chose a native Texan who had been active in politics since 1931, Lyndon Baines Johnson. Johnson helped Kennedy win Texas and several other Southern states. Despite the growth of a conservative grass-roots movement, moderate Democrat John Connally, a close friend and supporter of Lyndon Johnson, was elected governor in 1962.

November 22, 1963, was a dark day in Texas history when Kennedy was assassinated in Dallas, a city that was one of the most conservative in the state. As vice-president, Lyndon Johnson succeeded Kennedy in office to finish his term as president. When Kennedy was assassinated in Dallas, Governor Connally, who was with the President, was seriously wounded. Connally gained state and national recognition and was re-elected as governor in 1964 and 1966.

The Vietnam War escalated during Johnson�s term in office. Although Johnson remained dedicated to eliminating poverty, the Vietnam War overshadowed his efforts. By 1968, public protests of the war had become too much for the President, and he declined to seek reelection. However, his anti-poverty program was successful. In 1963, the nation�s poverty rate stood at approximately 25 percent. When Johnson left office in 1969, that rate had fallen to 11 percent as hundreds of thousands of people escaped poverty.

In 1968, Richard Nixon, a conservative Republican, won the presidency. Although a majority in Texas voted for the Democratic nominee, Hubert Humphrey, a conservative following was growing in the state. In 1972, Texans helped re-elect Nixon, although he resigned in 1974 in the wake of the Watergate scandal.

By the 1970s, Texas politics had made a transition to more conservative politics. Democrats began to move to the center to combat the turbulence of the 1960s and the growing power of the Republican Party. Although most Texans supported Democrat Jimmy Carter in the 1976 presidential election, the Republican party continued to gather support in the state. The Republican Party demonstrated its power by electing Bill Clements as governor in 1978 and 1986. In the 1980s, Texas voted Republican in presidential elections, although Democrats kept control of the Texas Legislature. By the 1980s, Texas could no longer be considered a one-party state.

With the influx of people and the rise of the suburbs, the Republican party gained a strong foothold in Texas in the 1980s. With the election of Republican Ronald Reagan and his Vice-President, Texan George Bush, in 1980 and 1984, Republicans in the Lone Star State began winning more state and national offices. George Bush succeeded Reagan in office to become President in 1988 and continue the conservative Republican success.

One example of the increasing influence of the Republican party can be seen in Senator Phil Gramm. Gramm was originally elected as a Democrat to the House of Representatives. After losing his position on the House Budget Committee, Gramm resigned from Congress and changed to the Republican party. Gramm believed the Republicans more closely reflected his conservative view of politics. He was then elected to the Senate in 1984, 1990 and 1996 as a Republican. Gramm led the Republican fight for tax reform and tax cuts. He also served as the chairman of the Senate Banking Committee and advocated changes in banking, insurance and securities laws.

At the beginning of 1990s, the Republican reign in Texas and Washington came to a brief halt. Democrat Ann Richards won the governorship in 1990. Richard�s progressive actions included the allocation of money to reform the prison system and to improve roads and bridges. Democrat William Clinton won the 1992 presidential election, defeating President George Bush who was seeking a second term. Mexican Americans and African Americans of all classes generally supported the Democratic party and began to make their political presence felt.

The conservative trend in Texas politics rebounded in the mid 1990s. In 1994 and 2000, Republican Kay Bailey Hutchinson was elected to the United States Senate. Republican George W. Bush, son of ex-President Bush, was elected governor in 1996. Bush trumpeted himself as a "compassionate conservative". He held conservative hard line views on crime, drugs and the death penalty. He also favored tax cuts and welfare reform requiring more work requirements, as did most conservatives. At the same time, Bush worked for increased funding for education and bilingual programs, which pleased Hispanics and liberal Democrats. These views proved popular with Texans and Bush was reelected governor easily in 1998. Bush's success in Texas gained him national attention and he was selected the Republican nominee for President for the 2000 elections. 

Additional Resources

Study Guide Questions:

1. Why was Lyndon Johnson so important to Kennedy in the presidential election of 1960?(7.7:A)
2. What was the "War on Poverty"? Was it successful?(7.7:A)
3. Why did Lyndon Johnson decide not to seek reelection in 1968?
4. Who was John Tower?(7.7:B)
5. Who was John Connally? What differences did he have with President Johnson?(7.7:A,B)
6. Who is Phil Gramm? What was unique about his political career?(7.7:B)
7. Who is Kay Bailey Hutchinson?(7.7:B)
8. How did political preferences change in Texas beginning in the 1960s? Give some examples of persons elected to office that demonstrate this change.(7.7:E)