Texas A&M's Anti Obama Carnival

The Young Republicans at Texas A&M University held an anti-Obama carnival as a way to voice their opposition for the Democratic presidential nominee. 

The festivies included a "Socialist on a Stick" ring toss and a place to throw away your nest egg.

Of course, there were people who were offended, such as Farren Congress, who said, "You have plenty of McCain supporters out there who think this is ridiculous. Y'all are way out of hand."

But the group defended their activities. Jay Cunninghman of Texas A&M's Young Conservatives of Texas said, "And in an intelligent fashion we'd like to discuss his policies cause its not Barack Obama the man that we have the problem with. It's his socialist, liberal policies that we are concerned with."

McCain, Cornyn ahead

A University of Texas poll shows Republicans John McCain and Sen. John Cornyn leading by large margins in Texas. McCain leads Obama with a 51 percent to 40 percent margin. Cornyn, a first-term Republican from San Antonio, leads Rick Noriega, a state representative from Houston, 45 percent to 36 percent. Another 14 percent of voters remain undecided in the contest.

This survey also has another interesting find: 23 percent of Texans are convinced that Barack Obama is a Muslim. This is an unusual find because national polls show that just 5 to 10 percent of Americans still believe Obama is a Muslim.

The telephone poll was conducted by the Texas Politics Project and Department of Government at The University of Texas at Austin. The poll was conducted from Oct. 15 to 22, and had a margin of error of 4.2 percentage points.

No More ACORN for Texas Candidate

Chris Turner, the Democrat seeking the District 96 Texas House seat, has asked ACORN's state political action committee to stop campaigning for him.

"Even though there have been absolutely no allegations of any improper activities in Texas at all. . . . We felt it was best given some of the allegations from the other states that had come up this month that they no longer be involved," Turner said.

Turner, 36, is running against Republican incumbent Bill Zedler in a race that observers say could play a key role in control of the Texas House. District 96 includes south Arlington, Crowley, Kennedale and parts of Fort Worth, Mansfield, Forest Hill and Burleson.

Bush casts his vote!

President Bush cast an early ballot for John McCain on October 24, according to AP. 

On a side note, In effort to draw attention to the vote, Obama's campaign emailed the AP report about the vote to campaign reporters. 

Early Voting Numbers are High!

Texas' Secretary of State's office says more than 1.1 million Texans cast ballots in the 15 most populous counties through this past Thursday, According to AP.

That compares with 655, 265 ballots in those counties in the previous election. 

McCain Volunteer Admits to Lying about Attack

The woman who claimed she was attacked for being a McCain supporter has confessed that her story is untrue.

The Story: A woman who claims to be a John McCain volunteer says she was robbed at knifepoint by an attacked who cut a "B" into her face after seeing her McCain bumper sticker. Police have been questioning several inconsistencies in statements made by the woman.

10 Days to Go!

With ten days to go, it is safe to say McCain will win Texas. McCain has had a good lead throughout the whole election process in this red state, which has gone Republican in the past four elections. It has been pretty evident which way this state will go, which is why neither side has done much campaigning here. McCain will take Texas, but it will be interesting to see by how much. According to pollster.com, McCain leads with 55.3 percent to Obama's 41.1 percent. This is a good lead, but not as big as it has been in the past. Texas is becoming more purple, especially in big cities such as Dallas. While this may affect state elections, it should not affect the presidential election.

Party leaders: Vote Straight Ticket!

Democrats and Republicans are sending the same messages to their voters: vote straight ticket! 

Let's face it, most people are paying so much attention to the presidential election to even bother paying attention to all the races going in the state. Party leaders hope that by voting straight ticket, they can get their candidate voted in. However, we don't know which side this will help.

It may seem to help Republicans because Texas is generally a red state so there would seem to be more Republicans voting. However, this may help Democrats. With the expectant high numbers of voter turnout, this could really benefit the Democrats. We are going to see voters that have never voted before come out for Obama. Straight ticket voting has helped Democrats in the past:

In 2004, Lupe Valdez stunned Republican Danny Chandler by winning the sheriff's race.

In 2006, a little known Democrat, Jim Foster, upset incumbent Republican Margaret Kehiler for county judge. 

We will just have to wait for November 4 to see which side this actually favors. 

Democrats see chance for more house wins

With the help of Barack Obama, a weak economy, a democratic congress rounding up hurricane relief funds, and reduced republican spending on key races, Texas democrats see this as the time to win some key races. 

While the republican strength in the state is huge, democrats may be able to succeed if they fet off-the-charts turnout for the presidential race, particularly from black and Hispanic voters who tend to vote Democrat. 

Read more about these races in the Dallas Morning News. 

Cornyn backs away from McCain

Sen. John Cornyn has been backing John McCain's proposal to move American's away from health insurance provided at the workplace. 

"There's no reason today to have health insurance policies tied to employers." Cornyn said on September 1. 

However, on Tuesday, he didn't support a tax on workers' health benefits, which is how McCain would pay for tax credits.

While Cornyn also said tax breaks for providing health coverage to employees should be given to sole proprietors and small-business owners, he declined to say how he would pay for the tax breaks. 

Shift in Politics in Texas?

An article in USA Today reports a political shift in Texas.

Dallas county, which Bush won by 9600 votes in 2004, is turning more purple. In 2006, every statewide election in the county went Democrat.

Harris county, which includes Houston, will be watched very closely in November. The paper claims that this area could show what post-Bush Texas politics could look like.

Urban flight, a growing minority population and an influx of Katrina Democrats from Louisiana have contributed to the shifting mood in urban centers such as Dallas, Republican strategist Chris Turner says.

Those demographic shifts don't readily apply to Harris County, he says. Ike's destruction in the coastal areas may have hurt the Democrats because it was hard for candidates to reach those areas, he says.

Republicans don't need to worry about Texas, however. Turner says there has been a major resurgence in the Republican party since the announcement of Sarah Palin as vice presidential nominee.

Papers Offer Mixed Endorsements

While Texas newspapers tend to give Republican endorsements, this year, some of them are throwing their support behind Obama. Here are a list of Texas Newspapers who have already given their endorsements, who they have endorsed, and why:

Houston Chronicle: Obama 

The chronicle said it "strongly believes that the ticket of Sens. Barack Obama and Joe Biden offers the best choice to lead the United States on a new course into the second decade of the 21st century." They also said that if McCain had chosen a more moderate Republican as his running mate, they would have had a harder time with their decision. This is the first time the chronicle has picked a Democrat since LBJ in 1964.

Dallas Morning News: McCain (see post "Dallas Morning News Endorses McCain")

The San Antonio Express: McCain

The San Antonio Express wrote, "The question comes down to this: Which candidate is best able to chart a new and secure course for a nation in perilous waters? John McCain is not a perfect candidate. In this tumultuous season, however, he is the best choice for commander in chief." 

Austin-American Statesman: Obama

This newspaper received protests outside it's doors when they endorses Bush in 2004. On Obama, The Austin-American Statesman said, "A vote for Obama would be a vote for change in an array of fronts. Obviously, he would become the first U.S. citizen of color to hold the nation's highest office. But more important than his biracial bloodline are his ideas."

Bryan-College Station Eagle: Obama

The paper said it is confident Obama can lead the nation forward and that even though Obama doesn't have all the answers, he is a least asking the right questions.

Amarillo Globe-News: McCain

The paper says Obama, "mirrors the tax-and-spend philosophies of liberal Democrats, which is not the type of change the nation needs. They write that McCain has a conservative track record and the right mix of moderation to lead the country in a positive direction.

The Lubbock Avalanche-Journal: McCain

The paper writes that McCain has a better understanding of issues ranging from national security to economy to energy to immigration. 

How Much Money do Texans Give to Candidates?

In the month after McCain chose Palin for his vice presidential nominee, he received $3.5 million from his Texas supporters. 

During that same period, Obama received $1.1 million from Texas, according to an analysis by the Center for Responsive Politics. 

The outpouring of money for McCain was in a large part due to his selection of Palin. 

"The problem Texans always had with McCain is he was seen as no sufficiently dependable on social issues, that he wasn't a social conservative through and through," said Cal Jillson, Southern Methodist University political science professor. "But when Texans found out Palin was a social conservative, they rallied to McCain and probably gave some additional money."

According to campaign finance data through September, Texans have donated $52.4 million to all presidential candidates combined, including those no longer in the race. McCain has drawn $15.7 while Obama has drawn $10.3 million, according to the Center for Responsive Politics. 

Early Voting Surges in Texas

October 20 marked the first day of early voting in Texas, and what a big day it was! Dallas county broke it's previous turnout record with 33,000 votes and more than 8,500 had voted in San Antonio before noon, trumping their 2004 early voting record. 

While voting was heavy in Dallas, which leans Republican, there was also heavy turnout in areas which tend to lean Democratic, such as Desoto, Duncanville, and Oak Cliff. 

It is impossible to tell which way the vote went- votes wont be counted until the end of early voting- October 31 and wont be announced until 7 pm on November 4. 

McCain Still Ahead

Latest poll results results from pollster.com:

McCain: 55.4 percent

Obama: 39.8 percent

Dallas Morning News Endorses McCain

The Dallas Morning News has endorsed John McCain, calling him a "progressive conservative."

The paper says that while Americans do want change, but banking alone on change alone is risky. Both Obama and McCain offer new ideas to our nation. While in a better time, America could afford to consider putting our trust into the hands of a newcomer and giving control of presidency and congress to the same party. But in this time of anxiety, we need a leader of experience. McCain offers "continuity, stability and sense of authority people want, as well as a decisive break from the Bush years."

To read the entire article, click here.

Clinton Rallies for the Democrats, but Republicans still take the lead

In a rally in Dallas on Tuesday, Bill Clinton urged Democrats to elect Rick Noriega to the senate so that he could help Obama push a change agenda. 

"Nobody is smart enough to do this alone," Clinton said of Obama, " The supporting cast matters." 

Clinton continued, saying that Noriega would help Obama and Democrats restore jobs, increase energy independence for the country and reform the nation's health care system. 

And Clinton's main reason to vote for Noriega: his involvement in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrna. He helped in Houston's response to the disaster, which was hailed by critics.

Even with all this praise from the Clintons, Noreiga and Obama are behind in the polls in Texas. According to pollster, Cornyn leads with 50.4 percent to Noriega's 42.5 percent. 

When it comes to the presidential election, as McCain falls in the polls nationally, he is maintaining his 12 point lead in Texas. 

"What happens in other states is a whole different situation," saod Marc DelSignore, an Austin-based Republican pollster, "The good news for McCain-Palin here is that Republicans and independents seems to be at high levels of support for the McCain-Paling ticket."

Illegal Immigrants Registered to Vote?

A report by David Simcox says that an estimated 1.8 million to 2.7 million noncitizen immigrants in the U.S. may be illegally registered to vote, which could make a big impact on the upcoming presidential and congressional elections.

Simcox, the former head of a think tank that favors less immigration, used population estimates from the Census Bureau and Texas county registration data to discover that Dallas, Harris, Starr and Presidio counties, as well as others, had higher numbers of registered voters than those who are eligible. This may indicate noncitizens are registered to vote.

However, county elections administrators reject the conclusions of the report, saying there is no evidence of widespread voter fraud in Texas.

Steve Raborn, elections administrator for Tarrant County, said a two-year investigation by his office of questionable voter registrations in 2004 and 2005 found only three noncitizens on the county voter rolls, and they were later removed.

Yet, Raborn said he couldn't completely discount Mr. Simcox's findings. "We probably have some noncitizens on the rolls, just like we probably have some dead people or some felons on the rolls, but it's not a big problem," Mr. Raborn said. "If they're illegal aliens, they're going to stay under the radar."

Texas Senate Race

The Dallas Morning News is endorsing Republican John Cornyn, for U.S. Senate. To read the endorsement, click here.

Rivals for the Texas senate seat, Sen. John Cornyn and State Rep. Rick Noriega, met in Houston this week for a debate. Major topics they argued over included the bailout and health care.

Noriega attacked Cornyn's support of the $700 billion Wall Street rescue package. He also criticized Cornyn for opposing the expansion of the Children’s Health Insurance Program for children in working-poor families.

To the latter attack, Cornyn responded that income limits for CHIP shouldn’t be raised until the state does a better job of signing up youngsters eligible for CHIP and Medicaid.

“He spent 10 years in the Texas Legislature and allowed this condition to get so bad that 800,000 kids are not even signed up,” Cornyn said.

Cornyn responded to the attack on the bailout by saying that to reject the bailout package “would’ve left the American people and our economy in ashes,” jeopardizing Texans’ retirement savings."

According to Rasmussen Reports, Cornyn leads 50 percent to 43 percent. This is down from his 11 point lead in August.

Palin Visits Dallas!

Republican vice presidential candidate Sarah Palin made her way to Dallas for a fundraiser on October 3, the day after her debate with democratic vice presidential nominee, Joe Biden.

Palin spoke to a crowd of over 1,000 people at the lunchtime fundraiser at the Fairmount Hotel, telling supporters of John McCain's ideas and experience to satisfy the country's desire for change.

"It's not just in Alaska; it's all over the country, this hunger for reform and new energy and new ideas and new vision and living out that worldview that John McCain and I have," she said.

Palin made sure no second of her trip to Texas was wasted. She met with Texas billionaire T. Boone Pickens and made a trip to San Antonio.

The event raised 4 million for the McCain campaign.

New Texas Poll: McCain Still in the Lead

While McCain still has the lead in Texas, it may not be the kind of lead he was hoping for. Texas is not as red as it used to be. We can see this as the numbers in this election are getting closer.

On September 29, 2008, 500 Texans were polled, asked who they support. McCain had 52 percent of the vote while Obama had 43 percent. McCain is viewed favorably by 63 percent of Texans and unfavorably by 37 percent. Obama has a favorability rating of 52 percent and an unfavorability rating of 46 percent.

Palin has a favorability rating of 55 percent and an unfavorability rating of 43 percent. Biden has a favorability rating 46 percent and an unfavorability rating of 48 percent.

Also interesting is whether Hurricane Ike has affected the polls. While the hurricane cost Texans millions in damages, 92 percent say the economic impact of the hurrican did not effect their choice in the upcoming election. After both the hurricane and the national economic crisis that has plagued the state over the past month, voters say McCain is best suited to bring economic stability back to Texas by a 51% to 40% margin. Unaffiliated voters in the state choose McCain by a 51% to 32% margin

President Bush earns good or excellent ratings from 37% of voters in his home state, while 46% say he is doing a poor job.