Blue states like California and New York have been bleeding population to Texas, Florida, and other red states for decades. Are we really concerned liberals are leaving?
I was born in Louisiana and still call New Orleans my home. But I, like most of my high school friends and a good hunk of my family, moved to Houston in the 1990s for employment. We also found lots of entertainment (e.g., the Houston Rodeo, camping, fishing, hunting), better schools, a functional criminal justice system, and great people. We also found a more conservative political climate that suited us well after leaving the liberal hell hole that is New Orleans proper (Louisiana is red, but New Orleans is a 3rd World Democratic city).
I was just part of the migration to Texas (and other red states) from blue areas of the country. Since 1990, Texas has gained over fifteen million people and become the second largest state in the union. California has shed hundreds of thousands and for the first time in its history, lost a Congressional seat in the 2020 census.
These facts went through my mind reading an article from Texas Monthly. As the name implies this is a monthly magazine on Texas, from a liberal point of view (Austin, I know, shocking).
Seeing how we are drawing in population by the millions, hundreds of new businesses yearly, the hospitals and other medical facilities are nothing short of incredible (MD Anderson in Houston is arguable the finest cancer clinic in the world), our universities and other education facilities are state of the art, they must ask, “Why are liberals leaving the state?” Well, why?
Texas Politics Keeps Moving Rightward. Meet Ten Liberals Who Fled the State.
We’ve been attracting transplants for centuries. But recent policies are pushing some Texans into exile.
Ten Lefty Texpats on Why They Moved, What They Miss, and What They Don’t
For decades, Texas has been a net-migration state, attracting more residents than we lost. Could that be starting to change? The census recently estimated that domestic migration to Texas dropped by nearly half between 2023 and 2024, from 190,994 to 85,267.
Anecdotal reports suggest that politics may also play a role in many decisions. After the election of Donald Trump, a Reddit thread titled “Leaving Texas” attracted more than 4,300 comments, with mostly progressive posters debating the merits of moving to Colorado or New Mexico, among other destinations…
…Although each of the Texpats I interviewed…none of them expressed regret about leaving the state, one was still adjusting to the fact that “most people [around here] agree with me.” Below, ten of those who’ve left…
Note: I will summarize the interviews and not list their full names.
JD, 46 years old, marketing manager and fiction writer, moved in 2022 from Austin to Barcelona Spain. Moved because of school shootings.
Doug (last name withheld) 38 years old, creative director, moved in 2023 to Pittsburgh PA because of “inclusion of religion into public schools,”
II, 35 years old, moved in 2023 to Portland OR from Austin because of “Anti-transgender harassment,” and likes that he can “just be” in Portland.
Annie (last name withheld), late forties in age, “higher education sector,” moved from Austin TX to Queens NY in 2022 due to the state’s “Near-total abortion ban.”
VB, 65 years old, retired nonprofit executive and former Democratic Texas state representative moved from Austin to Asheville NC in 2024 because of GOP domination of state politics
JK, 45-year-old stay at home dad, moved in 2021 to Olympia WA from Spring TX (suburb of Houston) because of “Near-total abortion ban
MG, 55-year-old hospice nurse moved in 2023 from San Antonio to Seattle WA because of “Near-total abortion ban,”
KP, 43, moved in 2022 from Elgin (east of Austin) to Lenox MA because of “Permitless carry (the 2021 law that allows most Texans to carry a gun without a license or training) and ban on gender-affirming care for trans children”
Samantha (last name withheld), a 28-year-old engineer moved from San Antonio to Seattle because of the “Near-total abortion ban.”
KL, a 42-year-old project director moved in 2022 from Texas to Denver due to “Needed gender-affirming health care for transgender son”
So ten former residents of Texas left because men can’t get an abortion at six months, “parents” with serious Munchausen by proxy syndrome can’t mutilate their children and we allow law abiding citizens to carry pistols openly (which is still fairly rare). This is a loss to the state? Like the hospice nurse who called herself, “exactly the kind of person they should want to stay in Texas,” this growing and energetic state will not miss you. We need productive citizens to add to our society, not people missing nationwide abortion on demand and only allowing criminals to be armed. So enjoy your liberal paradises with no jobs, sky high crime and living expenses and rampant crime, we’ll be fine with our low taxes, jobs and opportunity, and great Mexican food.
Be happy where you are and leave us all alone. To say it again, “Well…bye.”
Michael A. Thiac is a retired Army intelligence officer, with over 23 years experience, including serving in the Republic of Korea, Japan, and the Middle East. He is also a retired police patrol sergeant, with over 22 years’ service, and over ten year’s experience in field training of newly assigned officers. He has been published at The American Thinker, PoliceOne.com, and on his personal blog, A Cop’s Watch.
Opinions expressed are his alone and do not necessarily reflect the opinions of current or former employers.
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