Pelosi: Turning Texas blue is ‘our hope for the future’

Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) told a crowd Saturday that Texas is a top target for Democrats come 2020.

Pelosi said at Tribune Fest hosted by the Texas Tribune that she agreed with Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee Chairwoman Rep. Cheri Bustos’ (D-Ill.) characterization of the state as “ground zero” for the party.

{mosads}”This is it,” Pelosi said. “Texas is our hope for the future. And I’m not just talking about Democrats. I am talking about the country and the world. When Texas goes blue, that’s going to be very wholesome for our nation.  It is a beautifully diverse state in every way.”

Her remarks follow those from Manny Garcia, executive director of the Texas Democratic Party, who told Hill.TV earlier this month that his state would be the top swing state in the nation in 2020.

“Texas is the biggest battleground state in the country,” he said. “We are dramatically changing, we’re changing quite rapidly.”

“When you ask Texans if they would vote for Donald Trump or someone else, someone else currently wins,” Garcia added.

Four Texas Republicans have announced their retirements in recent weeks, and some districts including Rep. Will Hurd’s (D-Texas) have been moved from “toss up” to “lean Democratic” in recent weeks by the Cook Political Report.