If you consult the likes of Paul Krugman or MSNBC, you'll hear that Texas, Florida, and Georgia are failed states, run into the ground by right-wing ideologues.

Krugman points to Texas as an “indicator of the moral and intellectual collapse of American conservatism.” Democratic former congressman Beto O’Rourke has produced headlines such as this: "Beto O'Rourke: 'We are nearing a failed state in Texas' due to Republican leaders."

And if you like Georgia, Texas, or Florida, it’s probably because you’re a white racist who likes white supremacist policies, the narrative goes.

It might be jarring, then, for these New York-based commentators to open an ideologically friendly news outlet in Austin and see this headline: “People of color make up 95% of Texas’ population growth.”

Texas gained the most black people, nearly 700,000, of any state in the country. Georgia and Florida were second and third place, increasing their black populations by 450,000 and 390,000, respectively. All three states were governed by Republican governors with Republican.............