Final answer:
Tea Party and Christian conservative activists have the greatest influence over state elections in Texas, notably impacting local roles such as mayors and county commissioners, and less directly on the national stage.
Step-by-step explanation:
Tea Party and Christian conservative activists exert significant influence over state elections in Texas. State and local elections are the responsibility of each state, as well as a variety of county and local level agencies, according to 'state and local government' regulation. In Texas, and other states with strong Tea Party presence such as Alabama, California, and Florida, these activists have taken various roles including mayor, county commissioners, and city council members. For example, during the 2012 election in a small, rural Midwestern county, a Tea Party Republican was elected as a county commissioner, which exemplifies their influence at the local level too.
While they also have a presence in national politics, with some Tea Party members winning seats in the U.S. House of Representatives and the Senate, their most direct and substantial impact tends to be at the state level. This is consistent with the political truism that 'All politics is local'—voters often see national policy in the context of its effects on their local area. Furthermore, the national party organization is primarily responsible for presidential elections, making their involvement less direct in state-level contests, where Tea Party and Christian conservative activists can more easily sway results.