The Brief: Texas reacts to Donald Trump's stunning win

The Big Story

Reactions across the state varied following President-elect Donald Trump's victory on Tuesday. Here's how a Trump presidency could affect Texas and how groups said they feel about the win:

• GOP officials said they're further emboldened. U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz called Tuesday a “change election,” and in an interview with the Tribune on Wednesday Gov. Greg Abbott said the outcome made one thing “abundantly clear — millions of Americans feel they have been ignored by a political class in Washington, D.C., that prioritizes protecting an elite establishment before We the People.”

• With Republicans set to control the White House in addition to both chambers of Congress, the 1.2 million Texans with health insurance under the Affordable Care Act face an uncertain future. Texas leaders were swift to hail Trump’s victory as a chance to kill President Obama's signature health insurance law, but a total repeal of the Affordable Care Act appears unlikely without a 60-vote Republican supermajority in the U.S. Senate. 

• Another group worried about the possible repercussions of a Trump presidency are the young undocumented immigrants who were granted relief from deportation under President Barack Obama's 2012 executive order. Trump promised during his campaign to end Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals, meaning "dreamers" who came out of the shadows during Obama's tenure may be deported. 

• As Democrats pick up the pieces of the 2016 election, many said the single-digit margin in Texas and few legislative victories don't offer much solace. Democrats picked up four seats in the state House of Representatives but lost a key battle for Congressional District 23.

Tribune Today

Trump's comments prompted little notable change in turnout in Hispanic areas
Experts and pundits predicted that Hispanics would vote in record numbers to express their displeasure with Donald Trump. In Texas, it doesn't look like that happened.

New Republican on State Board of Education keeps mum on creationism
The new Republican State Board of Education representative isn't saying whether he'll vote to remove creationism from state science curriculum standards.

State officials hear more testimony on fetal remains rule
The Texas Health and Human Services Commission Wednesday took its second round of testimony on a controversial rule requiring burial or cremation of fetal remains.

Texas Libertarians clinch ballot access; Greens fall short
Libertarians on Tuesday earned a spot on Texas' next general election ballot. The Green Party must seek another route. 

Anxiety settles in on South Texas after Trump victory 
The shock of Donald Trump's presidential win was followed Wednesday by wariness and uncertainty as border residents wonder just how far he'll go to fulfill his campaign promises on immigration.

Analysis: Texas GOP, no stranger to facing off with feds, now faces a shift
They might not have predicted this, but Republicans won full control of the federal government in Tuesday's elections. For Texas Republicans, that removes a major political foil.

What We're Reading

(Links below lead to outside websites; content might be behind paywall)

“If the Lord takes me home tomorrow, I’ve been blessed.” Dan Patrick talks about Trump’s victory., Austin American-Statesman

Castro has no immediate plans to run for office, San Antonio Express-News

State leaders trying to figure out Texas' place in Trump era, Houston Chronicle

Will President Trump be good for the Texas oil and gas industry?, The Dallas Morning News

Today in TribTalk

"No government body will ever be perfect, but the State Board of Education has made strides to become representative of all Texans."

— Thomas Ratliff, outgoing Vice Chairman of the Texas State Board of Education

Trib Events for the Calendar

•   A Conversation with state Reps. Andrew Murr and Jason Isaac on Nov. 14 at Schreiner University in Kerrville

•   A Symposium Previewing the 85th Legislature on Nov. 29 at The University of Texas - Texas Union Ballroom

•   A Conversation with Michael K. Young, President of Texas A&M University on Dec. 1 at The Austin Club

•   San Antonio & the Legislature: A Preview of the 85th on Dec. 2 at University of Texas at San Antonio – Downtown Campus

•   A Conversation with Sen.-elect Dawn Buckingham & Rep.-elect Hugh Shine on Dec. 8 at Temple College – Arnold Student Union