The primary supporters of the white primary in Texas were the White Southern Democrats who controlled the Democratic Party in the state, backed by organized white supremacist and segregationist factions within the party. These groups sought to exclude Black voters from Democratic primary elections and to maintain racial hegemony in Texas politics. This arrangement was codified in Texas Democratic Party rules and backed by state law in the early 20th century, culminating in legal challenges that led to the eventual invalidation of white primaries after the Smith v. Allwright decision in 1944.