AUSTIN, Texas (AP) — Torrid growth in Texas over the past decade is paying off with a major boost in political clout — two additional congressional seats and electoral votes, deepening its already massive influence in the nation’s politics.
New U.S. Census Bureau figures released Monday confirm the relentless population boom in America’s biggest red state. Since 2010, Texas has gained nearly 4 million residents — more than any other state in sheer numbers. For perspective, that’s roughly the entire population of neighboring Oklahoma. It is now home to more than 29 million people, second in population only to California, which has nearly 40 million.