A Democrat victory in the Republican stronghold of Texas would be the biggest political achievement in US politics since Ronald Reagan’s landslide victory in 1984.
Since Texas swung to red in the election of 1980, the state has never looked back, and with its 38 electoral votes second only to that of California, has played a vital role in securing Republican presidential terms ever since.
However, if forecasts are to be believed, Joe Biden stands a strong chance of claiming these Electoral College votes this evening.
Such a threat will be hugely concerning to the Trump campaign.
The sitting president won a nine per cent majority over Hillary Clinton in the state in 2016, and recent polls suggest that this has been completely wiped out.
Neither side could have foreseen this possibility.
Liberal views have historically never taken hold in the region.
It is one of only three US states with statutes against same-sex sexual acts and there are more firearm owners than in any other area of the country.
Over 800,000 firearms are currently registered in Texas and more than a third of residents currently admit to owning a gun.
President Trump even suggested the National Rifle Association move its headquarters to Texas back in August, to align with the area’s highly conservative views.
In the same month, former Vice-President Biden’s announcement of California Senator Kamala Harris as his running mate in the coming election didn’t appear to a move to help swing areas such as this.
Senator Harris is black, female and highly liberal, three factors that have not proven popular in the political sphere of the region in the last 40 years.
The conservative area voted heavily against both Barrack Obama in 2008 and 2012, and Hillary Clinton in 2016.
The Republican campaign has been piling pressure upon Harris and her liberal views, largely in an attempt to swing voters in states such as Texas.
If recent polls are to be believed however, young members of the electorate, and sceptics of President Trump’s attitude towards the coronavirus pandemic have left this evening’s results on a knife edge.
Whichever way the people of Texas decide to swing tonight, the uncertainty surrounding the result should present a stern warning to politicians everywhere that nothing can be taken for granted.
Parallels have been drawn between Donald Trump and Ronald Reagan, who notably won 49 out of 50 states in the presidential election of 1984.
Both gained fame through careers outside of politics and were both highly popular candidates among the staunch Republican membership.
It would be slightly ironic if the Democrats are able to win in Texas this evening, leaving President Trump on the opposite end of the biggest shock in political history, since the Reagan campaign of 1984.
If this is the case, it would surely be the final nail in the coffin for the president’s chances of winning a second term in office.
By Jack Swaby