Hispanic/Latino Vote: Telemundo released a new poll showing Lupe Valdez (D) leading Gov. Greg Abbott (R), 44%-38%, among Hispanic/Latino registered voters. Libertarian Mark Tippetts polled at 2%, and about 1 in 6 respondents were undecided. Interestingly, 21% of self-identified Democrats said they would vote for Abbott.
In 2014, Abbott received 37% of the vote, measured head-to-head against Wendy Davis (D), in counties where at least 75% of the adult population was Hispanic/Latino and 55% in counties with a majority-Hispanic/Latino population. Those were the highest numbers for a Republican gubernatorial nominee since George W. Bush’s 1998 re-election (51% and 66%, respectively) if one excludes the 2006 race, which is skewed by the presence of two over-performing independent candidates.
The same poll shows U.S. Rep. Beto O’Rourke (D-El Paso) leading U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz (R), 54%-31%. Libertarian Neal Dikeman polled at 1%, and about 1 in 7 respondents were undecided. No crosstabs were provided. The poll of 625 respondents was conducted by Mason Dixon Polling & Strategy. It was in the field August 20-22. No margin of error was provided by Telemundo.
HD114 open: The Texas Municipal Police Assoc. and Dallas Police Assoc. endorsed John Turner (D).
CD2 open: All eight of Dan Crenshaw’s (R) vanquished primary opponents are co-hosting a fundraising reception for him in Houston.
CD7: The campaign of Lizzie Pannill Fletcher (D) released a new ad, “A Little More Houston,” showing a series of shots of Fletcher talking with people across Houston.
Primary Turnout: Massachusetts did indeed see a higher turnout (18%) than Texas (17%) for its primary election last night, dropping Texas to 39th out of the 46 states that have held primaries so far this year. Delaware’s primary election is tomorrow (Thursday).
Plainview: Early voting began today (Wednesday) for the special election to fill a council seat vacancy. Four candidates are vying for a term that expires in May 2020. Election Day is September 22.
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