Assignment:
Consider the discussion in "Texas's Shift from Blue to Red Informs 2014 Races." The "red-blue" debate in Texas is essentially an issue of party realignment. The transformation of Texas from a one-party Democratic state to that of essentially a one-party Republican state occurred over several years in which there was a convergence of many different factors, including economics,demographics, trends in national politics, and the role of key political actors.
For those predicting the possibility of Texas becoming a "blue" state with the resurgence of the Democratic Party, what lessons might be drawn from the Republican realignment that produced the party's current domination of the state government and many local governments throughout Texas?