The Republican Party of Texas : : A Political History / / Wayne Thorburn.

• Superior document: Title is part of eBook package: De Gruyter EBOOK PACKAGE COMPLETE 2021 English
• VerfasserIn: Thorburn, Wayne,
• Place / Publishing House: Austin : : University of Texas Press, , [2022]; ©2021
• Year of Publication: 2022
• Language: English
• Physical Description: 1 online resource (482 p.)

On July 4, 1867, a group of men assembled in Houston to establish the Republican Party of Texas. Combatting entrenched statewide support for the Democratic Party and their own internal divisions, Republicans struggled to gain a foothold in the Lone Star State, which had sided with the Confederacy and aligned with the Democratic platform. In The Republican Party of Texas, Wayne Thorburn, former executive director of the Texas GOP, chronicles over one hundred and fifty years of the defeats and victories of the party that became the dominant political force in Texas in the modern era. Thorburn documents the organizational structure of the Texas GOP, drawing attention to prominent names, such as Harry Wurzbach and George W. Bush, alongside lesser-known community leaders who bolstered local support. The 1960s and 1970s proved a watershed era for Texas Republicans as they shored up ideological divides and elected the first Republican governor and more state senators and congressional representatives than ever before. From decisions about candidates and shifting allegiances and political stances, to race-based divisions and strategic cooperation with leaders in the Democratic Party, Thorburn unearths the development of the GOP in Texas to understand the unique Texan conservatism that prevails today.

Table of Contents

Frontmatter -- Contents -- Preface -- 1. Nineteenth-Century Republicanism -- 2. The Early-Twentieth- Century Republicans -- 3. Creager and Wurzbach. The Patronage Wars -- 4. From Roosevelt to Truman -- 5. The Eisenhower Years -- 6. The 1960s Breakthrough -- 7. After Goldwater -- 8. The Highs and Lows of the 1970s -- 9. Breaking the Glass Ceiling -- 10. The Reagan-Bush Years -- 11. George W. Bush and the Republican Majority -- 12. The Year That Changed Texas Politics -- 13. Bush 43 and Governor Perry -- 14. The Bush Era Transitions -- 15. Donald Trump and the Republican Future -- Acknowledgments -- Notes -- Index