Texans Go to the Polls Monday
What is likely the longest primary campaign in Texas history moves into “home stretch” Monday as early voting for the July 31 Texas Primary runoff election begins.
Texas Lt. Gov. David Dewhurst and former Solicitor General Ted Cruz have been locked in an issue filled campaign for the GOP nomination. The campaign has featured multiple “negative ads” by both candidates since the primary season began in January.
It is difficult to predict both what actual turnout will be in the marquee race of the GOP primary, the Senate runoff between Dewhurst and Cruz (in the first round in May it was 1.4 million), and what proportion of the voters will vote early or by mail (in the 15 most populous counties, 51 percent of voters cast a ballot in the Republican Senate primary early or by mail during the early voting period of May 14 to May 25).
A reasonable estimate of overall turnout in the GOP Senate primary would fall between 750,000 and one million, while it is very likely that the proportion of these Texans casting a vote early or by mail will be somewhere between 55 percent and 60 percent.
Three other state-level runoffs are on the GOP ballot — Christi Craddick and Warren Chisum are in a runoff for the office of Railroad Commissioner; Barry Smitherman and Greg Parker are vying for the GOP nomination for an unexpired term on the Railroad Commission; and John Devine and David Medina are vying for the GOP nomination in the Justice, Supreme Court, Place 4 race.
Democratic voters will have only one race on the ballot — Paul Sadler and Grady Yarbrough are in a runoff seeking the Democratic nomination for the U.S. Senator to face off against the winner of the Dewhurst/Cruz race.
