@inbook{10.7560/753846.9, ISBN = {9780292753846}, URL = {http://www.jstor.org/stable/10.7560/753846.9}, abstract = {By 1978 Texas had a functioning two-party system, Republicans were winning elections, and the state Democratic Party finally began to resemble the national party in its ideology and governing structure (B. Carr ca. 1979a, ca. 1979c). Texas liberals increased their numbers and influence to the point that one activist characterized the 1978 Democratic state convention as a “real love-in.” The festivities were cut short, however, when Bill Clements stunned the Democrats by becoming the first Texas Republican governor since Reconstruction later that year (B. Carr ca. 1979b). The historic defeat gave greater traction to the argument that Democrats could no}, bookauthor = {BENJAMIN MÁRQUEZ}, booktitle = {Democratizing Texas Politics: Race, Identity, and Mexican American Empowerment, 1945-2002}, pages = {123--154}, publisher = {University of Texas Press}, title = {A Two-Party State}, year = {2014} }