Straight party Democratic voters sunk the Republican ship in Dallas County.  Of the straight party vote in the county, 60 percent were Democrats and just under 40 percent  Republican. An analysis indicates that since 2000, when the straight party vote was divided almost evenly between the two parties, the Democratic straight ticket vote has grown exponentially. This year, almost 480,000 voters in the county voted straight ticket and the Democrats got just over 100,000 more straight ticket voters than the Republicans.

Democratic enthusiasm and Obama-mania was apparent. The total vote in the county was more than 738,000, about 50,000 more voters than in 2004, when George W. Bush carried the county with a scant 50.3 percent.  Obama-Biden carried the county this year with 57.5 percent to almost 42 percent for McCain-Palin.

While some might chalk up this year's figures to the perfect storm of Barack Obama, economic crisis and Bush/Republican fatigue plus changing demographics, some Republicans are blaming their party leadership for failing to recognize what has become a growing trend of more Ds than Rs voting straight party in the county.

The Republicans talked big this year, saying they got the wake-up call from Democrats four years ago and wouldn't be caught sitting idly by while Democrats racked up more gains.  And while they did phone banks and walked door-to-door, they did it without a strategic understanding of what was happening in the county, Republican sources suggest. 

Democrats have become better organized, are utilizing new ideas and techniques, and they made straight ticket voting part of their strategy.  They were so successful that the straight ticket vote even exceeded their expectations.  The amazing comparison is to look back to 2000, when only about 2,000 more Democrats voted straight ticket than Republicans.  A far cry, indeed, from 100,000.

Democrats also are capitalizing on a more upbeat attitude compared to local Republicans.  The election night victory parties are a case in point.  Democrats had a swinging street festival in the Bishop Arts District, with a huge TV screen projected on the side of a building as people enjoyed their success.  The excitement there was a mini-version of Chicago's celebration in Grant Park.  The county GOP party was more like a wake. It was a traditional hotel ballroom party where, as the night wore on, small groups broke off into corners to pray together.

For Republicans to have any hope in the future in the county, they need  an energy infusion and a county chairman who can provide smarter, more strategic management. They have to find new voters and build new organizational networks to offset the growing Democratic trend and the demographical change in near-in, once reliable, Republican suburbs that are gaining more minorities and Democratic voters. In the Irving-based state legislative district, for example, nobody saw the close race developing between incumbent Republican Linda Harper-Brown and her Democratic challenger. Sources say ACORN was politically active in Irving this year as well as in the eastern part of the county.

The edge in Democratic straight ticket voting helped Democrats sweep the locally contested judicial races -- nine of them -- and take back the tax assessor-collector's office held for 20 years by Republican David Childs.  It was more than enough to crush Lowell Cannaday's chances to unseat Sheriff Lupe Valdez.  In what was predicted to be a close race, Cannaday lost by more than 65,000 votes as Valdez ran up a 10-point margin, 55 to 45 percent. 

It's likely only going to get worse for Republicans at the courthouse.  Current City Councilwoman Elba Garcia has an excellent chance of knocking off Republican County Commissioner Ken Mayfield in 2010, giving the Democrats their first majority on commissioners court in years.  And more judges, such as Susan Hawk, plan to switch to the Democratic party.

In the face of these trends, Republicans are going to need more than prayers to regain their political status in the county. 

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