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Friday, Feb 22, 2013 3:05 PM UTC

Texas GOP chairman: State could swing Democratic if Hillary runs

Steve Munisteri says that Texas could go for Clinton if she runs in 2016

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Topics: Texas, Republicans, Hillary Clinton, 2016 Elections, swing states,

Texas GOP chairman: State could swing Democratic if Hillary runs (Credit: AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite)

Despite Mitt Romney’s 16-point margin over President Obama in Texas in the 2012 election, the state GOP chairman says that Texas could swing Democratic in 2016 if Hillary Clinton decides to run.

Steve Munisteri told Real Clear Politics that Clinton could take the state from being “solid Republican”: ”If she’s the nominee, I would say that this is a ‘lean Republican state’ but not a ‘solid Republican state. I don’t know anyone nationally who’s scoffing at this. The national party leadership is aware and tells me they’re taking it seriously.”

But, he added: “With everything aligned perfectly, and we don’t do what we’re supposed to do, sure they could win the state. But I anticipate we’ll do what we’re supposed to do.”

The Democratic-leaning Public Policy Polling had a similar assessment of the race, releasing a poll last month that showed Clinton leading a number of potential Republican opponents in Texas. From PPP:

The results are within the margin of error, but Clinton leads Marco Rubio 46% to 45%, Chris Christie 45% to 43% and Rick Perry 50% to 42%. She has a +7 favorability rating (50/43) with Texas voters and strong support among moderate voters—72% view her favorably, and she crushes her potential GOP opponents among this voting group.

Jillian Rayfield is an Assistant News Editor for Salon, focusing on politics. Follow her on Twitter at @jillrayfield or email her at jrayfield@salon.com. More Jillian Rayfield.

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