A new Emerson Coll. poll conducted for the Dallas Morning News shows former Vice President Joe Biden (28%), former U.S. Rep. Beto O’Rourke (19%), Bernie Sanders (16%) and Elizabeth Warren (14%) leading the Democratic field in Texas. Former San Antonio Mayor Julián Castro is below 2%, tied with Cory Booker behind three others. More than three out of five respondents said “there’s a chance I could change my mind” about which candidate they support.
Overall, President Trump’s approval rating is 49/44. He leads most of the polled candidates in hypothetical horse race scenarios, often within the poll’s margin of error. The poll suggests he would lose to Sanders, albeit within the margin of error, which is an unlikely result. He also trails Biden, also within the margin of error.
In the race to challenge U.S. Sen. John Cornyn (R), the poll shows “someone else” (19%) leads the Democratic field, followed by M.J. Hegar (10%), Sen. Royce West (8%), former U.S. Rep. Chris Bell (7%) and Houston council member Amanda Edwards (5%). A majority of respondents were unsure. A plurality of respondents believe O’Rourke and Castro should drop out of the presidential race and challenge Cornyn instead. Cornyn’s approval rating is 37/31.
CD10: U.S. Rep. Michael McCaul (R-Austin) tweeted that his re-election bid is “full steam ahead.” Following the retirement announcements from four of his Texas colleagues, McCaul was rumored to be contemplating retirement. He raised $647K during the second quarter, including funds transferred from other authorized committees, suggesting his plan was always to seek re-election.
CD15: Selma pastor and two-time Republican nominee Timmy Westley updated his campaign committee for another challenge of U.S. Rep. Vicente Gonzalez (D-McAllen) as a Republican. Westley received 38% of the vote in the 2016 and 2018 general elections.
CD20: San Antonio resident Justin Lecea established a campaign committee for a potential primary challenge of U.S. Rep. Joaquin Castro (D-San Antonio). We were unable to identify the candidate conclusively.
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