Texas Has No Voice in Picking GOP Nominee

Because of the drawn out court battle over redistricting, the Texas party primaries have been delayed until the end of May.  With the GOP Presidential nomination battle all but over, and Mitt Romney the nominee-apparent, this means Texas will have no say whatsoever in picking the GOP nominee this year.

That's bad enough, but it's reported that Romney has no plans to come to Texas before the GOP national convention. For their state convention in June, Texas Republicans will have to settle for one of the "also rans." Rick Santorum will speak to the convention in Fort Worth. Mitt Romney won't be there.

Rice University political scientist Mark Jones says Romney has nothing to gain from speaking to the Texas GOP.  Jones says Romney is now trying to pivot back to the center, and the Texas GOP Convention is not the best place for that.

That's because the Texas Republican Party is one of the most conservative in the country, and the activists who will be at the convention are even more conservative.  Jones also says Romney is likely to win Texas in November regardless, so avoiding the state convention probably is of no significance.

via Romney to skip Texas GOP convention - Houston Chronicle.

What this means is that Romney is taking Texas Republicans for granted in the convention delegates sweepstakes and in the November election.  This is what it's like to be a political "non-entity".

Texas Republicans can blame their elected state legislators' stubborn refusal to compromise over redistricting for delaying the party primaries past the date when they would have meant anything.