SAN ANTONIO – Texas held its Republican stronghold again in the 2020 general election while Democrats had hoped to flip the state.
Votes in many metropolitan areas were in favor of former Vice President Joe Biden, the Democratic nominee, but the majority of smaller communities showed their support for President Donald Trump.
When will we know the results of the 2020 presidential election?
Marie Nachman, who lives in Pleasanton, was pleased with the outcome.
“I think it’s an ongoing effort to live your values, to speak your values,” she said.
A county-by-county electoral map shows the majority of smaller counties voted Republican.
In Atascosa County, Donald Trump won more than 12,000 votes. Nachman said most of her neighbors are Republican and believe in tradition.
“I think it’s a really family-focused area where people care about their kids, their religion,” Nachman said.
In Bexar County, Biden picked up more than 400,000 votes.
Connie Martinez has lived in San Antonio all her life. She voted for Biden and wants to change rather than conservative ideas.
“Life progresses. Life evolves, and you can’t change that,” she said.
Martinez believes people who live in bigger cities tend to be more liberal because the population is diverse.
“San Antonio is growing fast, and different people from different states are moving here,” Martinez said.
Rogelio Saenz, a demography professor at the University of Texas at San Antonio, said people who move to Texas are more like to live in urban areas due to affordability.
Saenz said a diverse population leans more toward progressive ideas.
“You have a concentration of people of color more likely to vote Democrat,” he said.
Saenz was not surprised the state did not flip for Democrats. He said there was little engagement with Latinos who reside in smaller communities that have been traditionally Republican.
“You’ve had a more conservative population. In the rural areas, that has been a very strong hold,” Saenz said.
Read more from KSAT’s Vote 2020 page: