Texas: A View From Both Camps in Lubbock
- The race for the White House is heating up in Lubbock County, Texas.
- Mail-in fraud, high COVID infections, media suspicion and the effect that young people are having in this election proved hot topics.
- Journalism students from Texas Tech University invited Manchester Met NQ reporters to interview both Democrat and Republican representatives in the district.
Jason Corley (pictured, below), the Republican County Commissioner in Lubbock, denounced the media’s optimism of Biden’s potential, stating: “The media are not there to inform you, they are there to sell you advertisements.”
Whereas the Democratic Chair in Lubbock, Gracie Gomez, opened the call by saying that “things are anxiously optimistic,” in the Biden camp.
Over the last decade, changing demographics in the State of Texas have led to closer and closer electoral outcomes between the two main political parties. “Texas hasn’t always been Republican” said Corley, as he began to reflect on the Lone Star state’s journey to becoming a traditional red stronghold.
“Texas is still part of the Bible Belt; religious traditions live deep here. People are not willing to shift their beliefs in line with the increasing liberal views of the Democratic party, so they switched to Republican, this goes back to Reagan.”
As the conversation shifted towards the possible violent implications that may arise from the result, the County Commissioner struck a more optimistic and hopeful tone before he departed, saying: “In Lubbock, we are a little less prone to violence over political issues. We are not as densely packed as cities where you have a greater problem.
“It’s not like New York or Minneapolis where you’re probably going to have some problems. I think we’ll be alright”
During her time on the call Gomez (pictured, below) discussed a multitude of issues, starting with the hotly debated issue of mail-in ballots – the use of which been criticised by many Republican officials. She said: “If people mailed in their ballots in a timely manner then those need to be counted, they can’t be challenged because they weren’t counted by midnight election night.”
Gomez who is the daughter of two Mexican parents, one of whom came to the United States illegally, was asked about allegations that the Latino community may be shaken by claims from the Republicans that Biden is a socialist.
“It’s hard for me to understand Hispanics here voting against what I feel are our best interests. The whole deal of socialism is a fear push and it’s been used as a fear tactic, and it holds no water.”
As discussion turned towards generational gaps and the potential rise in first time votes from the youth, John Gibson (below), the Democratic candidate for the 84th District, stated: “I think that we are going through a generational shift – the Boomers, the Gen Xer’s and on the other hand the Millennials and the Gen Z’s. Older people on one side and younger on the other.
“I hope that it’s impactful, it’s the first election my son has been able to vote in and I said to him: ‘may you live in uninteresting times.’”
Gibson closed out the discussion with the following advice to all on the call: “This election is so unusual, so bizarre, that anyone who says they know what will happen is someone you should turn off to.
“The early polls look good but the only polls that count are Election Day”