Trump repeats assurance he’ll win Texas
President Donald Trump used his first speech at the Republican National Convention on Monday to declare again that he is not going to lose Texas in November.
Trump, who is scheduled to speak multiple times during the four-day convention, took time to assure delegates that Democrats cannot win Texas because of their positions on climate change that will cost the state oil and gas jobs. He said Democrats are for “no religion, no guns, no oil and gas.”
“I don’t think you’re going to do too good in Texas” with that sort of platform, Trump said.
Trump added that George
Washington could come back from the grave with Abraham Lincoln as his running mate, “and you’re not going to win the state of Texas if you have no oil, no guns and no religion.”
Texas Democratic Party officials almost immediately responded by reminding the public of the toll COVID-19 has taken on the state, a point the party intends to make regularly during the final 70 days of the election. More than 11,000 Texans have died, and more than 3 million people in the state remain out of work.
“All because of Donald Trump’s leadership,” said Abhi Rahman, spokesman for the Texas Democratic Party.
Although no Republican has lost Texas in a presidential election in 44 years, public polling has shown a close race in 2020. Trump carried Texas by 9 percentage points over Hillary Clinton in 2016, but Democrats have pointed to surging voter registrations and a close U.S. Senate race in 2018 as evidence that this year is going to be a lot closer.
Trump also warned about a “rigged election” if he loses in November and declared that his administration has done more than any presidential administration in history.
Because of COVID-19, Republicans are holding a stripped-down version of a typical national convention, with most conventiongoers attending virtually. Still, there is a delegation of Texans in Charlotte, N.C., site of the convention, including Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick, who announced to the crowd that all the state’s delegates were awarded to Trump.
“On behalf of our entire delegation, we cast all 155 votes for my friend and the only hope that every American in the country has for true liberty and true freedom and true opportunity: Donald J. Trump for president of the United States of America,” Patrick said.
Trump has made clear he’s betting big on the oil and gas industry to assure he’ll win Texas again in November. Just last month, he was in Midland speaking at an oil rig, warning that the “zealots, radicals and extremists” are “trying to shut down your industry.”
While the Texas economy has undoubtedly diversified over the last 20 years, the oil and gas industry is still a dominant force. Last year, more than 428,000 Texans worked directly in the industry, according to the Texas Oil and Gas Association.
Former Vice President Joe Biden has called for addressing climate change. But during the Democratic National Convention last week, Biden stressed that his $2 trillion proposal includes funding that would lead to good, high-paying union jobs in the energy sector for people as fossil fuels are phased out over time.