PhD ONLY

While each party tries to distance themselves from being considered the party of the rich, which they both agree is a bad thing (Kramer, 2007); research shows that higher income levels tend to vote republican. According to Billy Faye, of debt.org, “Republican candidates gain a significantly higher percentage of votes from individuals with incomes over $50,000 per year, and the advantage increases along with the income level.” At the other end of the scale, as those income levels decreased, the Democratic voters increased (debt.org). In a survey done by PEW Research Center, it confirmed that as incomes increase the voters were more likely to vote republican. The more interesting information however, was that as the general public became less fortunate the amount of people not likely to vote at all significantly affected the democrats more (PEW, 2015). If the research is true, republicans in Texas stand to benefit and can expect to see an increased voter support as the median income level in Texas rises.