California–Texas rivalry

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Map of the United States highlighting      California and      Texas

The California–Texas rivalry (alternatively the Texas–California rivalry) is a rivalry between the two U.S. states of California and Texas. California and Texas are the United States' two most populous states, with large economies and a significant amount of state culture.[1] The states are often opposed politically, with California being progressive and generally supporting the Democratic Party, while Texas is more conservative and generally supports the Republican Party.[2]

Politics[]

Further information: Politics of California and Politics of Texas

One area in which the rivalry between California and Texas has been incredibly strong is politics.

The Democratic Party has had a trifecta in California since 2011, while the Republican Party has had a trifecta in Texas since 2003.[3] Democrats have won the United States presidential elections in California in every election since 1992, while Republicans have won the United States presidential elections in Texas in every election since 1980.

California has enacted numerous progressive policies, such as Medicaid expansion, a $15 per hour minimum wage, and significant actions to reduce climate change. Meanwhile, Texas has adopted various conservative policies, such as reducing taxes, not expanding Medicaid or increasing the minimum wage, election security laws and restrictions on abortion.[3]

Voters look to both states for examples of how policies from across the political spectrum would look if implemented nationally.[3] Many companies have moved to Texas due to lower regulations and significant tax incentives, as well as California's stricter response to the COVID-19 pandemic.[1] Elon Musk, the CEO of Tesla, Inc. and SpaceX and the world's richest individual, has symbolized such business migration – moving Tesla's Gigafactory and global headquarters to Texas. While Texas has largely welcomed new businesses, the fear of socially progressive attitudes migrating to the state from California has led to a degree of backlash in the state, including Texas Governor Greg Abbott running his re-election campaign in 2018 on the slogan "Don't California My Texas."[4]

See also[]

References[]

  1. ^ a b Cowan, Jill (December 10, 2020). "Why We're Talking About the California-Texas Rivalry, Again". The New York Times. Retrieved January 18, 2021.
  2. ^ Miller, Kenneth P. (2020). Texas vs. California: A History of Their Struggle for the Future of America.
  3. ^ a b c Miller, Kenneth P. (November 1, 2020). "America's political future is a California-Texas duel". USA TODAY. Retrieved January 18, 2021.
  4. ^ Hooks, Christopher (March 2021). "Californians Could Ruin Texas—But Not the Way You Might Think". Texas Monthly.
Retrieved from ""