A small but significant population shift is underway between America's two most populous states, driven by the widening partisan divide. Paul Chabot, a native Californian who ran for Congress as a Republican last year, moved to Texas after his defeat, citing California's transformation from a Republican stronghold to a liberal state.
Chabot and his family relocated to Collin County, Texas, where all 38 elected officials are Republicans and a four-bedroom home costs under $350,000. He launched Conservative Move, a company to help like-minded individuals flee liberal states, and has received about a thousand expressions of interest, three-quarters from Californians.
Between 2005 and 2015, about 503,000 people over 25 moved from California to Texas, while 290,000 moved in the opposite direction, according to a Public Policy Institute of California analysis. However, experts say economic and family reasons, rather than politics, are the main drivers of migration.
Housing prices in California have escalated rapidly, pushing people out, while Texas offers no state income tax, strong support for gun rights, and tough crime policies. The ideological battle between the states continues, with California recently banning state-funded trips to Texas over an adoption law critics describe as anti-LGBTQ.
