A rough element of one of my TL ideas are changes in Texas politics, wherein:
1998: John Sharp narrowly defeats Rick Perry for Lt Governor (Bush still re-elected Governor)
2000: As Bush is still elected President, Sharp assumes the office of Texas Governor, giving the state a couple of years of Democratic Governance before...
2002: Kay Bailey Hutchinson defeats Sharp's bid for a term in his own right; she appoints John Cornyn to her old seat; meanwhile, Rick Perry wins the other US Senate seat from Texas; the Democrats also do (somewhat? slightly?) better in the state legislative elections than OTL
First, does this sound plausible so far? Second, what would need to happen, after 2002 TTL, for Hutchinson and/or Cornyn to be in a tight race come 2006 -- and subsequently, for Texas to be "in play" come 2008, or 2012 failing that? Third, how would the elections be thus effected? (After all, the 2008 Democratic nominee had 220 "safe" ECVs, and if Texas' 34 were up for grabs...)