Tuesday is National Voter Registration Day. October 9 is the deadline for Texans to register to vote to participate in November 6 general election.
GOV: The campaign of Gov. Greg Abbott (R) released a new ad, “Keeping Texans Safe,” focused on border security and public safety.
LTGOV: The campaign of Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick (R) released a new ad, “No California,” broadly attacking Democrats generally and highlighting his “great partnership” with Gov. Greg Abbott (R).
SD10: The campaign of Sen. Konni Burton (R-Colleyville) released a new ad focused on education:
SD16: An internal poll conducted by Democrat-leaning Public Policy Polling for the Nathan Johnson (D) campaign shows the challenger leading Sen. Don Huffines (R-Dallas), 45%-42%. The campaign did not release the full polling memo or crosstabs.
Endorsements: The Texas Assoc. of Realtors TREPAC released its slate of endorsements (PDF) for state and legislative office. The group primarily endorsed incumbents and open-seat nominees of the party currently holding the seat. The exception was Democrat John Turner for open HD114 over Lisa Luby Ryan, who defeated Rep. Jason Villalba (R-Dallas) in the primary.
The Texas Parent PAC released its slate of legislative endorsements, including 14 Democratic and one independent challenger running against a Republican incumbent. The group endorsed 21 Republican candidates. Sen. Kel Seliger (R-Amarillo) was the lone Republican the group endorsed for the Senate.
CD7: A new poll by Public Policy Polling shows challenger Lizzie Pannill Fletcher (D) leading U.S. Rep. John Culberson (R-Houston), 47%-45%. The poll of 562 registered voters by the Democrat-leaning firm was conducted for Protect Our Care, a group fighting efforts to repeal the federal Affordable Care Act.
CD23: The Gina Ortiz Jones (D) campaign released a new Spanish-language ad, “Oportunidad.”
CD31: A new poll by Democratic firm Anzalone Liszt Grove shows U.S. Rep. John Carter (R-Round Rock) leading challenger M.J. Hegar, 46%-42%. The same pollster found Carter leading, 48%-39%, in July. “Nearly 60% of the electorate remains unfamiliar with her,” wrote pollster Zac McCrary, but Carter’s name identification is only 63% despite his years in office. The poll of 500 “likely voters” was conducted using live interviews over landline and mobile phones and was in the field September 16-20. Its stated margin of error is ±4.4%.
CD32: A new poll by Public Policy Polling shows challenger Colin Allred (D) leading U.S. Rep. Pete Sessions (R-Dallas), 47%-42%. The poll of 555 registered voters by the Democrat-leaning firm was conducted for Protect Our Care, a group fighting efforts to repeal the federal Affordable Care Act.
Meanwhile, the New York Times/Siena Coll. poll we mentioned yesterday has been completed. It shows Sessions leading Allred, 48%-47%. It took 43,331 phone calls to talk to 500 people.
Austin: Retiring council member Ora Houston endorsed Vincent Harding to succeed her.
Mission: A trial began today for former Mayor Beto Salinas’s challenge of Mayor Armando O’Caña’s 157-vote runoff victory in June. Attorneys for Salinas, including his son Rick, called several witnesses who testified their experiences with mail-in ballots. The lawsuit accuses O’Caña, his campaign and family members of bribery, illegal voting and mail-in ballot fraud. Salinas wanted to call O’Caña as the first witness, but he was away from the courtroom due to a death in the family. He is expected to testify on Wednesday.
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