The Texas Election and the Work of Citizenship
The November 3 election was not only about Texas. Across the country, voters moved toward Democratic candidates compared with the 2024 presidential margins, and Texas was part of that larger shift.1 The results suggest that many Americans were unhappy with the direction of the country and with the work of their elected leaders under unified Republican control. I write as a Catholic who believes the Republican Party, despite its failures, remains the political home most closely aligned with my principles: protecting unborn life, securing our borders, ensuring honest elections, limiting government, and defending our Constitution. Supporting those principles does not mean excusing Republican leaders when they fail to act.
Vice President JD Vance, citing a pollster, reported four concerns among Trump voters who switched to Democrats:2
- End the war.
- Address the cost of living and inflation.
- Put America First.
- Reexamine the United States relationship with Israel.
These concerns deserve attention. Yet voters are not always right, nor are elected officials always wrong when they make unpopular decisions. Preventing Iran from obtaining nuclear weapons, for example, may require difficult choices that public opinion alone cannot settle. What matters is whether our leaders acted wisely, lawfully, and effectively. Consider Congress. Republicans held power, but how much did they accomplish? The substance of the SAVE America Act passed the House on February 11, 2026, as an amendment to S. 1383, but has not become law.3 Why? What did the Senate do? Which obstacles were constitutional or procedural, and which reflected political choices? Citizens deserve answers to those questions. We must distinguish what a president can do by executive order from what requires an act of Congress, and we must distinguish a campaign promise from a law passed and a law passed from a result achieved. The same standard applies in Texas to election security, property taxes, border enforcement, and education. Citizens should be able to see what their representatives did, not merely hear what they promised.
What can an ordinary person do? We have spent these past days studying election returns, public statements, polling, and legislative records. We needed no secret meetings, political connections, or special permission. Official election results, the text of bills, and sources that show their work are available to everyone. Still, most Americans cannot spend their days studying legislation. They have families, jobs, and responsibilities. Citizenship must be something we can practice in ordinary life.
First, fly the American flag. Let it be a visible sign of love for our country, not approval of every politician or government decision. In some neighborhoods, even that simple act may require courage. Second, guard the truth. Before passing along a claim on Facebook, through email, or in conversation, ask whether you know it is true. We may discuss opinions, interpretations, and even speculation. That is how people reason together. But we must identify them honestly rather than present them as established facts. These two acts are small, but they matter. One expresses patriotism. The other practices responsibility toward our neighbors.
The voters who changed their minds in 2026 may change them again. Neither party can claim their loyalty forever. That leaves room for accountability, better judgment, and renewed public trust. Prayer remains part of this work, as does the daily labor of loving our country, seeking the truth, and refusing to surrender our responsibilities as a self-governing people.
Endnotes
- The Washington Post, “Takeaways from a Republican wipeout that cost the GOP both chambers of Congress,” November 4, 2026, https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2026/11/04/takeaways-republican-wipeout/ (reporting a shift of at least 15 points toward Democrats relative to the 2024 presidential election). See also The Washington Post, “See where voters shifted toward Democrats,” November 4, 2026, https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2026/11/04/see-where-voters-shifted-toward-democrats/.
- JD Vance, statement on X, November 4, 2026, https://x.com/jdvance/status/2118004988433641835. Vance attributed the four concerns to a pollster’s reading of Trump voters who switched to Democrats.
- The substance of the SAVE America Act was passed by the House on February 11, 2026, as an amendment to S. 1383 (218–213). H.R. 7296 (Chip Roy, introduced January 30, 2026) was referred to committee and has not itself received a floor vote. The measure has not become law and remains stalled in the Senate. See Congress.gov entries for H.R. 7296 and S. 1383, and House Clerk roll call 69.