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Now, on to today’s stories.
Fort Bend County, specifically House District 28, is being watched like a hawk by both state and national observers on this election day. The HD 28 race is projected to end with a run-off.
Following the publicity of polling yesterday that bodes well for Republicans in 2020, it will be interesting to see the spin coming from the House District 28 result paired with pivotal races in Kentucky, Mississippi, and Louisiana.
An unnamed Republican analyst stated 54% of early voters in Fort Bend County were Republicans, 23% were Democrats, and 23% were Independents.
One of the more interesting notes about this race is the dynamic among the six GOP candidates. Specifically, only one candidate has drawn support from Austin, Tricia Krenek, a former member of the Fulshear City Council, has received funding from the Associated Republicans of Texas.
If Krenek were to reach a runoff with the Democrat nominee Eliz Markowitz, it would represent an ideological win for the left-of-center even if the GOP retains the seat being vacated by retiring Rep. John Zerwas.
Markowitz for her part is increasing the pressure on her performance by stating, “When we flip this seat, a vast amount of resources will flood into the state of Texas to help us flip the other eight seats we need to take a Democratic majority.”
2020 is still coming into focus, both in Texas and nationally. While the Democrats have been bullish on Texas to date, this is subject and likely to change.
Speaker Joe Moody [pro-tem ;)] and Rep. Jeff Leach are pressuring Governor Abbott to stop the execution of Rodney Reed. The pair are part of a newly formed Texas House Criminal Justice Reform Caucus, and a letter from the 12 member clan to Abbott is its first action.
Reed’s case, stemming from the 1996 killing of a Bastrop County woman, is highly publicized, receiving national attention and calls from celebrities to stop his execution set for November 20.
Registering voters is en vogue this election season for Republicans. The problem with this effort, labeled by some as a boondoggle, is that just registering voters doesn’t win elections.
Dave Carney Greg Abbott’s political consultant held a political powwow last week. Included among the participants were Texans for Lawsuit Reform and the Associated Republicans of Texas.
Carny, according to reports of the meeting, wants to protect incumbents, win open seats and take back seats from a list of at least 17 Democrats, including Reps. Ana-Maria Ramos, Julie Johnson, Rhetta Bowers, and John Turner. The recent fall from grace of Speaker Dennis Bonnen is complicating Carny’s aims.
While reporting on the meeting suggests there’s a plan to “overcome” the drag of Bonnen, it appears that increased spending by Abbott may be the extent of the plan.
Reportedly, Lieutenant Dan Patrick is telling the Trump election machine that the Bonnen issue is a distraction, not going to hurt the GOP at the polls.
Russian interference, a go-to for the mainstream media to ding Donald Trump, or cast doubt on elections, continues to be undermined. The latest blow to Russia influence narratives comes from the UK, where it’s been determined that Russia had no impact on Brexit despite reporting intimating otherwise.
Hit the links
Abbott satisfied with purple session:
Austin homeless camps to be “put right back.”
Democrat Candidates Run from Impeachment
Trump overcoming the national narrative