After a year in which several Republicans chose to retire rather than run for re-election, Texas' conservative clout could be diminished even further by 2020.
Some expect the state's remaining GOP lawmakers will become frustrated with being in the minority, and they too may retire before the 2020 election.
“I think there will be some additional Republicans leaving Congress unless they see the chance to take back the majority in the House in 2020 or soon thereafter,” says Cal Jillson, political science professor at Southern Methodist University.
For many suburban Republicans, Jillson says the writing is on the wall.
“Everybody realizes Democrats are going to slowly rise on the increasing Hispanic population,” he says. “And if you get a really good candidate like Beto O'Rourke, that slow rise might turn out to be a pretty sharp break in Democrats' favor.”
That means members like Reps Pete Olson, Michael McCaul and others will have to work even harder next election cycle.
“The end of the straight ticket voting, that's going to jumble things up,hopefully so that a good candidate can win with significant margins and a bad candidate is going to run a close race, if not get beat,”says Jillson.