AUSTIN, Texas —Even in an election where “change” was the operative word, Texans showed the Lone Star State is still very much a Republican stronghold both in presidential politics and further down the ballot.

Although Democrat Barack Obama became the nation’s first black president in a resounding victory, Republican Sen. John McCain easily won Texas’ 34 electoral votes Tuesday, continuing a string of GOP victories going back three decades.

“Texans are conservative on economic issues, conservative on social issues, conservative on national defense,” said Republican consultant Reggie Bashur. “John McCain did not campaign here at all, did not have one office, spent not one dollar and he was still able to win.”

McCain led Obama with 55 percent of the vote with nearly half of precincts reporting.

No Democrat has won Texas since Jimmy Carter since 1976, but the party hoped that strong voter turnout and legions of supporters for Obama would help them crack GOP dominance in other statewide races.

It didn’t happen.

Even with an Associated Press exit poll reflecting voter dissatisfaction aimed at Republicans over the economic downturn, the war in Iraq and President Bush, Republicans put up a fight to hold on.

“If Washington would just look to the heartland, they would see the blueprint for making us a Republican country again,” said Gov. Rick Perry, a Republican. “This is a good night in Texas.”

Incumbent GOP Sen. John Cornyn defeated Democrat Rick Noriega. Republicans have held the state’s two Senate seats since 1993.

Other GOP victories kept trickling down the ballot.

Incumbent Railroad Commissioner Michael Williams, Supreme Court justices Wallace Jefferson, Dale Wainwright, Phil Johnson and Court of Criminal Appeals judges Tom Price and Paul Womack all were poised to win re-election.

The last big hope for Democrats was to try to make gains in the state House of Representatives, where Republicans held a 79-71 majority. Democrats needed a net gain of five seats to take over as the majority and oust Republican Speaker Tom Craddick of Midland.

And in Harris County, the state’s most populous, Houston-area voters appeared to be giving Democrats back a number of countywide and judicial