Rising Star is a sleepy Texas town of 899 souls, surrounded by thousands of acres stretching to the horizon in a place that seems stuck in time.
Cowboy hats are as common here as raising cattle, and the metallic clang of pumpjacks spitting out oil remains commonplace.
Like many towns in West Texas, it has a town square with shuttered buildings and dark windows coated with dust from a constant wind. The Family Dollar and CEFCO Convenience stores are the happening places in Rising Star.
Though starkly populated, rural Texas consists of stalwart Republicans who believe in traditional values. They have been a counterweight to the deep blue urban cities of Texas, strung along the spine of Interstate 35 running from Gainsville to Laredo….