This chart shows that from 1947 to the present Texas Republicans and Democrats largely mirror their southern colleagues ideologically. Texas did not elect any Republicans to Congress until the mid-1950s. Since then Texas Republicans have been notable for their strong conservative outlook. During the 1950s and 1960s, Texas Democrats, led by New Dealers like Sam Rayburn and Lyndon Johnson, tended to be on average somewhat more liberal than their southern counterparts. Since then, as conservative Texas Democrats switched to the Republican party, Texas Democrats as a group, like their southern counterparts, have become steadily more liberal and more like the rest of their party nationally.