I was in a meeting with Dan Patrick last week. I'm paraphrasing his numbers as best that I can remember them but the Republican turnout for an off year election was equal to or greater than the Republican turnout for the 2016 Presidential election. That should have been a landslide victory, given Texas voter registration. But it wasn't
The problem came in the huge number of newly registered Democratic voters. My comment is that the opening of polling places on college campuses is probably at least partly to blame for the increased numbers. But that wasn't the only issue.
Tarrant County, outside of Ft. Worth is deep red territory. Yet Cruz lost to Beto in Tarrant county. Additionally, down ballot races from Senator to judges saw incumbents lose because there was a lot of straight ticket voting for Beto. That suggests that those voters were not willing to negotiate the two pages of names. That problem is now fixed (or not, depending on your perspective) because there is no longer a straight ticket option.
Beto's campaign, according to Patrick was responsible for all of the GOP candidates losing in Dallas County, too. The Republicans were out-mobilized. That is what happens when you have the money that poured in from out of State. Make no mistake - the Democratic party clearly saw the effects of their investment. If they can turn Texas blue, there is no chance for a Republican Presidential candidate to win ever again. With that much incentive, the Beto money flood will likely pale in comparison to what happens for 2020.