California transplants erupt after being blamed for blue tsunami flipping Texas: ‘Ignorant nonsense’

Californians who moved to Texas are rejecting Governor Greg Abbott’s suggestion that newcomers helped drive a Democratic sweep in the 2026 midterms. Some say many transplants are Republicans and argue that other factors, including company relocations and state policies, better explain the shift.

Doreen Diego, who moved from the Bay Area in 2019, pointed to workers arriving with companies and to growing diversity in suburbs such as Collin County. Realtor Marie Bailey said her California-to-Texas group is mostly conservative and attributed the results to younger native Texans’ reactions to abortion and cannabis restrictions. An AP voter poll also found roughly six in 10 Hispanic voters backed Democrats in their local House race; more than 77,000 people moved from California to Texas in 2024.