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Candidates Enter Final Stretch Ahead Of Primary Election Day

Ryan Poppe

Candidates running in Texas’ primary election are attending rallies and making last minute appearances at various events — anything and everything within their power to get out the vote before Tuesday’s election.  

 

 

During early voting last week, Texas voters set a new record by casting over 850,000 early ballots.

 

It’s voting numbers like these that has statewide candidates like Jerry Patterson, the former Republican land commissioner, fired up about possibly forcing his opponent, incumbent land commissioner George P. Bush, into a runoff election.

 

Bush would need just over 50 percent of the Republican primary electorate in order to avoid a runoff election in May. But Patterson’s not overly confident about his chances. He plans to meet with voters about his candidacy from now until the polls close.

 

“I’ll headed to Houston for a get-out-the-vote rally, coming back Tuesday and hanging around polling places and shaking a few hands — working up to the last minute, I’m sure,” Patterson said.

 

Patterson’s campaign will monitor election returns at his campaign’s watch party at Red’s Porch in Austin.

 

Bush’s campaign manager Ash Wright said the land commissioner will work at the general land office until the polls close and then will also monitor the election returns at his watch party in Austin.

 

Agriculture Commissioner Sid Miller, who is locked into a heated primary battle with Austin lobbyist Trey Blocker, said much of his campaign’s work has been done, and he’s looking forward to watching the polls at a watch party in Austin.   

 

“Well, since pretty much everything is done, there’s not a whole lot we can do. I’m tuning up my horses to go to the Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo. We’re in a roping competition next Monday, so we’re getting the horse ready,” Miller said.

 

On Tuesday’s Election Day, voters who did not vote during early voting will need to locate their polling location and cast their ballot before the polls close at 7 p.m.

Ryan Poppe can be reached at rpoppe@tpr.org or on Twitter @RyanPoppe1

Ryan started his radio career in 2002 working for Austin’s News Radio KLBJ-AM as a show producer for the station's organic gardening shows. This slowly evolved into a role as the morning show producer and later as the group’s executive producer.