Cruz-O'Rourke Senate race tops Texas ballot as Labor Day signals sprint to Election Day
John C. Moritz
AUSTIN — Candidates on the Nov. 6 ballots have been hustling votes and campaign contributions for a year or more, but the traditional start of the final push toward Election Day traditionally starts on Labor Day.
The top race in the eyes of most Texas observers, and at the top of the statewide ballot is for the U.S. Senate. Incumbent Republican Ted Cruz is seeking his second six-year term in Washington and Congressman Beto O'Rourke of El Paso has been criss-crossing Texas since March 2017 to become the first Democrat to win a statewide election since 1994.
Meanwhile, Republican Gov. Greg Abbott is seeking his second four-year term. So are the other Republicans holding statewide office: Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick, Attorney General Ken Paxton, Comptroller Glenn Hegar, Land Commissioner George P. Bush and Agriculture Commissioner Sid Miller.
Seeking to break the GOP stranglehold in power in Austin are former Dallas County Sheriff Lupe Valdez in the governor's race, accountant and lieutenant governor hopeful Mike Collier, Houston lawyer Justin Nelson in the attorney general's race, entrepreneur and comptroller candidate Joi Chevalier, energy lawyer Miguel Suazo in the land commissioner's race and retired Air Force colonel Kim Olson is challenging Miller.
Early in the campaign, University of Houston political science professor Brandon Rottinghaus dubbed the Cruz-O'Rourke contest as Texas' "marquee race" for the 2018 cycle. Veteran Austin insider Bill Miller said the prediction proved prescient.
MORE:Ted Cruz vs. Beto O'Rourke called the 'marquee race in Texas'
"It is as competitive as it appears," Miller said, noting both the closeness of the polling and the money pouring in to both camps, but especially for O'Rourke, who so far has out raised the incumbent by more than two to one.
Key dates for the 2018 elections:
Last day to register to vote is Oct. 9.
First day of early voting is Oct. 22.
Last day of early voting is Nov. 2.
Deadline to get a mail-in ballot is Oct. 26.
Deadline to submit a mail-in ballot is Nov. 6.
Election Day is Nov. 6.
And both candidates have already started pushing out ads online and on the air. And that could drive voter turnout, which could affect close raises for Congress and for the statehouse.
The congressional races considered most worth watching are presently held by Republicans, but the 2016 results showed Democratic presidential nominee either winning a majority, or coming within striking distance of Republican Donald Trump.
MORE:Ted Cruz vs. Beto O'Rourke: A campaign diary for Texas' Senate race
The district that stretches from San Antonio to near El Paso is a case in point. Republican Will Hurd was narrowly re-elected two years ago, but Hillary Clinton won the district by 3.5 percentage points.
That gives Democrat Gina Ortiz Jones, a military veteran, hope in her quest to unseat Hurd, a former CIA officer. If Ortiz Jones wins, she'd be the first open lesbian to represent Texas in Washington.
The Houston-anchored district represented by Republican John Culberson also went narrowly to Clinton. Democrat Lizzie Panill Fletcher is Culberson's opponent. In the Dallas area, Republican Congressman Pete Sessions is being challenged by Collin Allred, a football standout for Baylor University who also played in the NFL.
MORE:These LGBTQ candidates in Texas are making history in 2018 elections
Clinton carried the district by 2 points and the nonpartisan Inside Elections newsletter rates the race a toss up.
The odds are longer for the Democrat seeking to represent the seat once held by disgraced Republican Blake Farenthold. In the recent special election, Republican Michael Cloud cruised to victory with 55 percent of the vote in a crowded field that included Democrat Eric Holguin.
The two will face off in November.
MORE:What's next for Michael Cloud in Texas' 27th Congressional District?
In the Texas House, where they are outnumbered nearly 2-1, Democrats are also seeking to pick off seats in the Houston, Dallas and Austin suburbs. They are hoping for an opposite rerun of the midterm elections during the eight years of the Obama administration that saw Republicans make wide gains.
This year, with the often mercurial Trump in the White House, Republicans are on the defensive.
Just as the Hurd-Ortiz Jones congressional race is seen as competitive, so might be the special runoff election to fill the state Senate seat vacated when Democrat Carlos Uresti was convicted of fraud.
MRE:How special election for Texas Senate could have influenced a race for Congress
The Senate district covers much of the same territory as Hurd's congressional district, though it leans more Democratic. But Abbott this week decided to extend his political cache, and some of his political cash, to Republican Pete Flores.
In this case, timing is crucial. The special runoff between Flores and Democrat Pete Gallego, who served 22 years in the Texas House and two years in Congress, will be held Sept. 14. Abbott this week released an online ad urging his supporters in the district to vote for Flores.
If Flores should win, and if the Republicans hold the state Senate now under their control on Nov. 6, they'd enter the 2019 legislative session with a 21-9 majority.
For information on how to register to vote on Nov. 6, contact your local county elections department.
John C. Moritz covers Texas government and politics for the USA Today Network in Austin. Contact him at John.Moritz@caller.com and follow him on Twitter @JohnnieMo.
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