HOUSTON, June 12 (UPI) -- The 12,000 Republicans gathering in Houston for their Texas state convention Thursday were well aware that this election cycle they're in for a fight.
The most urgent move is to fortify positions to face what the GOP expects will be a battle against the recharged Democrats. For the first time in 15 years, Texas Republicans are on the defensive, The Dallas Morning News said.
U.S. President George Bush's unpopularity plus election losses across the United States, have analysts predicting a tough year for Republicans.
State party leaders aren't expecting to rewrite the rules but they do agree the party needs a boost.
"We have to make sure we return to the basics that got us here," Hans Klingler, political director for the Texas GOP, told the Morning News.
"We were the party who fought and scratched our way into the majority. We're going to have to tell our voters what our record is and our vision for the future."
