McGregor, TX

McGregor, Texas, sits in a deeply conservative pocket of Central Texas, and it’s been that way for as long as anyone around here can remember. The Cook PVI for the area clocks in at R+14, which is a full ten points more Republican than the state of Texas as a whole, which sits at R+4. That gap isn’t just a number on a map—it reflects a community that has consistently pushed back against the kind of progressive overreach you see creeping into places like Austin or even Waco. The trajectory here is steady: McGregor has stayed reliably red through the last few election cycles, and if anything, the local sentiment has hardened against the leftward drift we’re seeing in bigger cities. People here value their Second Amendment rights, local control over schools, and the freedom to run their lives without a bunch of government mandates telling them how to do it.

How it compares

When you stack McGregor up against the rest of Texas, the contrast is stark. The state’s R+4 rating already makes it a Republican stronghold nationally, but McGregor’s R+14 puts it in a different league entirely. Drive thirty miles east to Waco, and you’ll find a more mixed political scene—McLennan County still leans red, but it’s softened by the influence of Baylor University and a growing professional class that’s more open to progressive ideas. Head south to Temple or Belton, and you get a similar story: conservative, but with a noticeable libertarian streak that sometimes clashes with the old-school values here. In McGregor, it’s simpler. The surrounding rural areas—Crawford, Moody, and the unincorporated parts of McLennan and Coryell counties—vote even more conservatively. The local school board and city council elections rarely see serious challenges from the left, and when they do, those candidates get trounced. The real worry for folks here isn’t about losing an election; it’s about the state or federal government imposing policies that override local will, like the recent pushes for more restrictive gun laws or mandates on energy production that hurt the agricultural economy.

What this means for residents

For someone living in McGregor, the political climate means a lot of day-to-day freedoms that are getting harder to find elsewhere. You can still buy a firearm without a waiting period that feels like a punishment. Your property taxes are high—that’s Texas for you—but you’re not dealing with the kind of zoning overreach you see in Austin, where the city tells you what you can plant in your front yard or how many cars you can park on your driveway. The local sheriff’s office takes a “don’t tread on me” approach to enforcement, focusing on real crime rather than turning traffic stops into revenue generators. That said, there’s a growing unease. The influx of people from blue states—California, Illinois, New York—has started to change the tone in nearby Waco and even in some of the smaller towns. You see it in the way some newcomers talk about “equity” in schools or push for more bike lanes and public transit, which sounds harmless until you realize it’s a foot in the door for bigger government. The long-term concern is that McGregor could get swallowed up by the sprawl from Waco or even Temple, bringing with it the same progressive policies that have hollowed out communities in other parts of the country.

Culturally, McGregor still holds onto a few distinctions that set it apart. The annual Cotton Festival is a big deal, and it’s not just nostalgia—it’s a reminder that this is still an agricultural town where people work with their hands. The local churches are full on Sundays, and the public schools still start with a moment of silence rather than a forced lesson on gender ideology. There’s no city-wide ban on plastic bags or a push for sanctuary city status here. The biggest policy fights in recent years have been over water rights and property taxes, not social issues, because the social issues are mostly settled in favor of traditional values. If you’re looking for a place where the government stays out of your business and your neighbors share your common sense, McGregor is about as good as it gets in Texas right now. Just keep an eye on the growth coming from the east—because once that progressive tide starts rolling in, it’s hard to stop.