Alabama's May 3 primaries proved that reasonably qualified white candidates can be elected in predominantly Negro counties. In Texas, where race is not an all-consuming political issue, the election results showed, in turn, that capable Negro office seekers can win the white support necessary for victory. In Houston the voters sent to the Texas legislature its first two Negro members in 71 years: Attorney Barbara Jordan, 30, and Bank Executive Curtis M. Graves, 27.
The Negro victories were facilitated by court-ordered reapportionment, under which the city was awarded ten additional legislative...