Democrats trying to regain a foothold in Texas have upped their game with a top-of-the-ballot candidate who has money and savvy, a bevy of hopefuls in every congressional district — some with national help — and a registration and turnout initiative that’s boosted by a Republican president who energizes his opposition.
They’re drawing encouragement from an increase in Democratic early voters, with Bexar County alone showing an increase of 3,762 people who voted in person and by mail in the first four days compared with the same period in 2014. The number of Republican voters in the county the first four days dropped by 2,716 voters compared with 2014.
In the state’s 15 largest counties combined, Democrats who voted in person and by mail totaled 139,720 the first four days, up by 60,031, compared with the first days four years ago. Republicans totaled 134,505, up by 8,376.
U.S. Senate candidate Beto O’Rourke — an El Paso congressman who has raised millions of dollars and is drawing crowds around the state — and other Democrats see a movement bubbling up from people worried about President Donald Trump and the leadership of Texas Republicans.
“What is so extraordinary this year, because we just haven’t seen it before, is the leadership that people are showing in their communities,” said O’Rourke, who is pursuing the Democratic nomination for the long-shot effort of unseating Republican Ted Cruz.
U.S. Rep. Joaquin Castro of San Antonio, who has no re-election opponent and opted against a run for statewide office this year, is working to help those trying to make a move.
“I think it is possible to break through this year,” Castro said, while conceding, “It’s still an uphill battle, because you’re in Texas, and Texas has voted fairly conservatively the last few decades.”
It’s not quite party time for Democrats, who haven’t won election to statewide office in Texas in nearly a quarter-century. The early-vote numbers don’t necessarily portend a record turnout for Democrats for the March 6 election.
Democrats remain at a disadvantage in terms of money and political infrastructure, since they’ve been out of power so long and Texas isn’t viewed as competitive enough yet for national groups to pour in money for statewide or presidential races.
But the early-vote figures are a Democratic shot in the arm given the 2014 governor’s race featuring then-Sen. Wendy Davis, when the party’s primary vote slid despite a national reputation earned by her filibuster against tighter abortion restrictions.
GOP primary turnout also decreased four years ago, but it still was about 2½ times the Democratic turnout. Republican Greg Abbott trounced Davis by more than 20 percentage points in the general election, becoming governor.
But Democrats contend statewide races are single-digit contests this time, and they think they have a chance for an upset win.
Aiding their effort, they say, are competitive races that are driving up interest in the election; O’Rourke’s barnstorming campaign, with about a dozen staff members and, he said, thousands of volunteers statewide; and resources from the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee in targeted U.S. House districts, expected to help up and down the ballot.
Destiny Molina, 23, is the DCCC-backed regional organizer for Congressional District 23, in which five Democrats have filed for the nomination to face Republican U.S. Rep. Will Hurd in November. She has organized voter registration initiatives, including in a high school; get-out-the-vote efforts including block-walking and phone banking; and has voters fill out pledge-to-vote cards that remind them to cast their ballots.
“We are building the groundwork for November,” she said.
The Texas Democratic Party has made a fresh digital push; conducted training sessions in eight cities to engage activists; doubled the number of the mail-in ballot applications sent out, to 700,000, compared with 2016; and enhanced its mytexasvotes.com site to ensure people can find their polling places and get information such as the type of identification they must bring.
Hovering over it all is the impact of Trump, whose policy proposals and intemperate rhetoric are stirring people to action.
“We know that there is a lot of fear and anxiety because of what is happening across the country with Donald Trump and with the Republican Party. It’s not enough to just have those negative feelings out there in the atmosphere. We need to make sure that we create a sense of pride, and a sense that you can do something about it,” said Manny Garcia, deputy executive director of the Texas Democratic Party. “The answer to this right now is to go vote in the Democratic primary. Elect your candidates, and declare your values.”
Democratic consultant Glenn Smith, senior adviser to Progress Texas, said the energy is clear.
“The organizations are sort of struggling to keep up with the demand, rather than having to go out and stir up the demand,” he said.
Their efforts are being met with vigor on the Republican side, where Abbott is running hard despite being heavily favored for re-election.
Abbott has the money — more than $43 million in his campaign account, according to the last report — organization and drive to run up the score again this time.
His campaign said it remains on track to nearly double its field operation from 2014 and has trained more than 4,800 volunteers statewide. In San Antonio, according to the campaign, it has nine full-time field staffers who have recruited 200 volunteers.
Abbott’s campaign also mounted a mail-in ballot initiative, although one that ran into issues when it neglected to fill in the GOP primary race for voters on a number of applications. His camp has long had a strong social media effort and is touting an app for people to keep up on campaign news.
It’s an effort that will help other Republicans on the ballot, as will already big spending by Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick. The Republican Party of Texas also has staff working to administer the primary and get out the vote.
“We know Democrat interest in this election is going to be high,” said Republican Party of Texas Chairman James Dickey. “I look forward to working with our Republican candidates and our grass-roots volunteers to make certain that in 2018 we send a resounding message to Democrats across the nation that Texas is not a swing state.”
Democrats cite particular hopes for their chances against Cruz and indicted Attorney General Ken Paxton and for their effort to gain the agriculture commissioner’s post. Trump-backing controversy-stirring incumbent Agriculture Commissioner Sid Miller’s strongest GOP primary challenge is coming from a former lobbyist, Trey Blocker. The Democrat running for the nomination for agriculture commissioner is Kim Olson.
“I think Beto could win. I think that (Democratic candidate) Justin Nelson in that AG’s race can win. I think all of them have a fighting chance,” Castro said. “Some races are tougher than others. I think the governor’s race is a tougher race, but it’s still possible.”
Making sure voters cast ballots in that race and others by March 6 is the first step for Democrats hoping for a way back.
“Voting is a habit and a culture,” said Garcia. “The more we can instill this culture of voting … the better the results will be in November.”
Article by Peggy Fikac • View on San Antonio Express News
