Texas voters clinch GOP nomination for Romney
SMU Political Science Professor Cal Jillson provided expertise for the Texas angle on Mitt Romney's capturing enough support for the GOP nomination for president.
By Anna M. Tinsley
The Fort Worth Star-Telegram
After months of sitting on the sidelines, Texas finally gets its turn to make its mark on the Republican and Democratic presidential primaries Tuesday -- and could have a greater impact than many thought possible.
Experts predict that Texas voters will award Republican Mitt Romney enough delegates to clinch the presidential nomination Tuesday night. That would make it the second presidential election in a row in which the state has played that role: This is where John McCain clinched it in 2008.
This will also be where Democrats continue or halt the less-than-stellar showings that President Barack Obama has had in the past three primaries, against virtually unknown opposition.
Obama and Romney each have opponents on the Texas ballot, and each faces lingering criticism from factions within his respective party even though the general election race has effectively begun.
"Both candidates have elements within their party that are not pleased with their candidacy," said Cal Jillson, a political science professor at Southern Methodist University in Dallas. . .
"At the end of the day, the vast majority of Democrats will support Obama and the vast majority of the Republicans will support Romney," Jillson said.
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