Commentary: In normal years, word of elected officials switching political parties would stun the Capitol community, as when then-state-representative Rick Perry announced he would become a Republican 20 years ago. Not so much this year.

The enormity of the Republican sweep in the last election fundamentally changed the Texas political landscape and changed the playbook.

Just a quick refresher course.

Over the previous three election cycles, House Democrats had fought Republicans to a virtual tie. The count last session was 76 Republicans to 74 Democrats.

Today, with one announced party switch and one likely party switch, those numbers look likely to be 101 to 49.

The confirmed party switcher is Allan Ritter from the Beaumont area, a popular conservative Democrat whose switch basically tracks his district’s shift from conservative Democrat to Republican.

The likely switch is Valley state representative Aaron Peña, also a conservative Democrat, who is watching Republican numbers grow in his area. Peña says he is considering the switch because he can best represent his district as a member of the majority party.

The two switches mostly demonstrate the collapse of Texas Democrats in the age of President Obama. The president hovers around 33-percent approval in Texas, undermining efforts by Democrats to rebuild their brand in the state.

But for all practical purposes, adding two new Republicans makes for a good headline but does little to change the dynamics of the House. Ritter was already on [House Speaker Joe] Straus’ leadership team and Peña’s votes will still reflect the interests of his district much as they did before.

What it does do is make both men vulnerable to their local Republican primary which, will be unfamiliar waters for them to navigate.

Since President Obama’s election, three Texas Democrats have switched to the Republican Party.

It is unlikely that Republicans will march in lockstep on most issues because the interests of their rural, mostly agricultural districts are markedly different than a Williamson county suburban district.

The challenges of the upcoming session are enormous and the ball is now firmly in the Republican court.