President-elect Trump's second term could have vast implications for Texas.

Why it matters: Texas leaders have long worked in lockstep with Trump over issues like the border and the economy. That loyalty could benefit some Texans and hurt others.

Here is what Trump's return to the White House could mean for Texas:

Deportation and border security: Texas is home to at least 2 million undocumented immigrants, per a 2024 federal report. If Trump follows through on his promise of large-scale deportations, labor markets and industries that rely on immigrant workers could be affected — not to mention the inevitable toll on families.

• A border policy of his first administration separated more than 5,000 children from their parents — and the practice was banned last year by a federal judge until 2031.

Washington clout: Several Texans could play critical roles in a second Trump White House. At the top of the list: Elon Musk, a Trump booster who maintains residences in Austin and South Texas and spent more than $130 million on the race, according to CFRA Research.

Tax cuts: Corporations and the highest-income households — those in the 95th to 99th percentiles — stand to gain the most from Trump's tax cut pledges, per an analysis by Penn Wharton at the University of Pennsylvania.

Oil and gas: Trump has promised to boost domestic oil production and strip environmental regulations, a potential boon for Texas-based oil and gas companies.

Renewable energy: The booming wind and solar energy sector in Texas could take a hit if Trump successfully ends President Biden's signature Inflation Reduction Act, though Trump could face pushback from rural Republicans whose communities benefit from renewable subsidies.

Reality check: With Republicans having occupied every statewide political office since the late 1990s, the conservative agenda in Texas is already baked in.

• Texas already has one of the strictest abortion bans in the country and among the highest hurdles to Medicaid access, and it practices some of the loosest environmental policy enforcement, for example.

What they're saying

Latino voters in Florida and Texas helped propel President-elect Trump to victories Tuesday in counties where Democrats had an edge in the past two presidential elections.

Why it matters: Most Latinos still vote Democratic, but the results suggested that as a bloc this fast-growing segment of the electorate — now about 20% of the population — is continuing to slowly shift to the right.

• Tuesday's results also suggest that many Latinos share Trump's concerns about illegal immigration, despite the racist rhetoric he's used to describe undocumented Latinos.

Zoom in: In Hidalgo County, in the Rio Grande Valley — a Mexican American stronghold that President Biden won 58% to 41% in 2020 — Trump edged past Vice President Harris by nearly 3 percentage points.

• In neighboring Cameron County, Trump's lead was even larger — nearly 6 points. Biden won that county with 56.1% of the vote four years ago.

Republican U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz, who is Cuban American and beat back a challenge from U.S. Rep. Colin Allred on Tuesday, devoted several minutes of his victory speech to Hispanic voters who shifted away from Democrats in this election.

• "We are seeing tonight generational change in South Texas," Cruz said. "This decisive victory should shake the Democrat establishment to its core."

By the numbers: Trump won support from 46% of Latino voters Tuesday, a record share of the national Latino vote by a Republican presidential contender, a new exit poll shows.

• An Axios review of exit polls going back 50 years found that when Democratic presidential candidates get less than about 64% of the Latino vote, they typically lose.

The vote in California and Florida

💸 Harris County homeowners will see a 58% hike in the Harris County Flood Control District's tax rate after voters approved a bigger budget for flood control. (Houston Public Media)

🗳️ Democrat Sean Teare won the race to become Harris County's next district attorney. County Attorney Christian D. Menefee and Sheriff Ed Gonzalez got reelected. (Axios Houston)

⚖️ Three Republicans retained their Texas Supreme Court seats Tuesday, thwarting Democrats' hopes to break the GOP's hold on the court. (Texas Tribune)

Texas' shade of red grew even darker this election.

Why it matters: Democratic hopes to turn the state blue appear to grow ever more dim.

Driving the news: President-elect Trump outperformed his 2020 showing across Texas. 

Key takeaways: In Harris County, U.S. Rep. Colin Allred won more votes and secured a higher margin in his Senate race than Vice President Harris. 

• Nearly 1.5 million people voted in each race. Allred received 830,000 votes (54.2%) compared to Harris' 797,000 votes (51.8%). 

Zoom in: Democrats held onto countywide leadership, though the district attorney and county attorney races were each won by less than 1 percentage point.

• Harris County continued to lean less blue than Dallas and Travis counties this cycle.
• Suburban areas around Harris County — like Montgomery and Liberty counties — turned out heavily for Trump, even more than in 2020.
• Green Party presidential candidate Jill Stein received nearly 15,000 votes in Harris County, tripling the party's 2020 numbers but still only about 1% of the total vote.

The bottom line: Just 58% of Harris County's 2.7 million registered voters cast ballots this year, compared to 68% in 2020.

Dig deeper: How Texas became a Republican stronghold