After months of uncertainty, mudslinging, lies, lying about lying, accusations of lying, Chinese intellectual property attacks, liberty-wrestled-from-Cuban-oppression ads, endorsements from Sarah Palin and Mike Huckabee – and more – Texas election day is upon us!
The marquee race, of course, is the contest to fill the seat being vacated by Sen. Kay Bailey Hutchison. The top two contenders are Lt. Gov. David Dewhurst and former Texas Solicitor General Ted Cruz.
Tea Party organizer Ken Emanuelson, who supports Cruz, put the race in stark terms: “It’s a Civil War within the Republican party.”
Emanuelson spent some of his Memorial Day manning the phones at a Cruz phone bank in Richardson. He said people he talked to think Dewhurst is too interested in making deals with Democrats to be an effective representative for Texas in Washington. “There are times when no deal is better than a bad deal. I think there’s always the possibility that you draw a line in the sand and the other side says ‘we’re done’ and the negotiation is over,” Emanuelson said.
He also took a jab at Gov. Perry for supporting Dewhurst. “When Perry was running for president, Texas Tea Partiers were reaching out to anyone who would listen and saying ‘this guy’s a fake.'”
Texans for Life President Kyleen Wright, a Dewhurst supporter, said “Texans do not need a bunch of Washington folks telling us how to vote or that we are too proud of our state. We understand that the winning Texas model is not accident.”
When I talked to her, Wright seemed pretty confident Dewhurst will carry the day. “If he doesn’t win outright, it will still be a lopsided win that will be completed in July,” Wright said.
Oh, if you’re in the Austin area, I’ll be part of YNN’s election coverage tonight starting at 6:30. If you’re somewhere else, I’m told the YNN web crew will be posting our segments here throughout the evening.
Other notes:
Ross Ramsey at the Texas Tribune has his list of what to watch for as the results start to roll in tonight.
The Hispanic population boom in Texas may not (at all) change the representation of Texas in Congress, notes the Associated Press.
In a related story, the Washington Post say Texas redistricting is a “blood feud.”
In case you missed it: The Houston Chronicle is the latest major publication to carry my piece on the “Value of Blue Collar Work.”
The Daily Mail reports the Department of Homeland Security has revealed a list of words that might pique their interest if you use them on social media.
Anything else I should be covering? Here’s where you let me know.
