KRGV.com

AUSTIN, Texas (AP) Some Texas lawmakers who have left the Democratic Party are struggling to win re-election with their new GOP ties.

State Reps. J.M. Lozano and Chuck Hopson both were supported by the Republican Party's big guns such as Gov. Rick Perry after they switched parties. But that high-powered campaigning was not enough for either to avoid a July 31 runoff with second-place finishers they barely beat in the primary.

Lozano and Hopson's opponents say it's because Republican voters in their districts don't yet trust them.

But both legislators insist they made the switch to more accurately reflect their constituents' views.

Switching parties is nothing new in Texas and has helped many politicians blossom. Among them is Perry, who was originally elected to the state House as a Democrat in 1984.