Politex

Stunning end to early voting

Early voting is now over. In Tarrant County, 123,352 people voted early, according to unofficial totals provided Friday evening by Tarrant County Elections Administrator Steve Raborn. Of that number, 86,594, or about 70 percent, voted in the Democratic primary.

Long lines of voters at 7 p.m. forced several early voting locations to remain open late Friday. The Euless Public Library stayed open the latest - until 9;15 p.m. - allowing more than 100 additional voters to cast ballots after 7 p.m., Raborn said. A total of 1,746 votes were cast after 7 p.m. Friday, Raborn said.

-Aman Batheja 

Punch, counter-punch

Just hours after Sen. Hillary Clinton's campaign launched 30-second spot featuring sleeping children while the White House phone rings at 3 a.m. with news of a pending internation crisis, Sen. Barack Obama's side put up its own 30-second response ad featuring sleeping children, a ringing phone and a looming crisis.

Clinton's ad asks the viewers who they would want answering that call, assuming the response would be her, of course, because she already has White House experience from her eight years as first lady. Here's her script:

"It's 3 a.m. and your children are safe asleep. But there's a phone in the White House and it's ringing. Something's happening in the world." (Sound of a phone ringing.) "Your vote will decide who answers that call, whether it's someone who already knows the world's leaders, knows the military, someone tested and ready to lead in a dangerous world. It's 3 a.m. and your children are safely asleep. Who do you want answering the phone? Hillary Rodham Clinton: I'm Hillary Clinton and I approve this message."

http://www.hillaryclinton.com/video/142.aspx

Predictably, Team Obama takes a differing view. Here's his script:

" It’s 3 a.m. and your children are safe and asleep. But there’s a phone ringing in the White House.  Something’s happening in the world. When that call gets answered, shouldn’t the president be the one – the only one – who had judgment and courage to oppose the Iraq war from the start… Who understood the REAL threat to America was al-Qaeda, in Afghanistan, not Iraq. Who led the effort to secure loose nuclear weapons around the globe… In a dangerous world, it’s judgment that matters. I’m Barack Obama and I approved this message."

To view the ad: http://tx.barackobama.com/tx_ringing

-- John Moritz

How good are your predictions?

We're going to try a little (and I do mean little -- two questions) survey here, mostly just to see how well this system works. Responses are limited to 100 unless we upgrade, so we're not going to upgrade just yet. However, we will share the results.

Predict results of the Texas Democratic primary: Click here to take survey

-- Richard Stubbe

Huckabee lassos Fort Worth crowd

Mike Huckabee was quickly surrounded by a crowd of supporters in the Fort Worth Stockyards Friday afternoon.

After getting a brief lesson, he started swinging a rope, trying to lasso a bale of hay. He wasn't having much luck with that, but he did capture the attention of his supporters.

"I can't begin to tell you how critical it is for us to win Texas next Tuesday," said Huckabee, the Fort Worth-trained Baptist preacher turned politician. "A whole lot of people throughout the country think this race is over.

"Texans represent the largest Republican block of voters in the country," he said. "It would be a real shame if the people outside of Texas told people in Texas who were going to vote for."

-- Anna M. Tinsley

Oops! Kay Bailey Hutchison gets ahead of Pentagon.

The press release clocked in at 4:14 p.m. -- Sen. Hutchison announces Boeing's Air Force Tanker will generate $125 million for Texas -- before the 5:00 p.m. scheduled Pentagon announcement. While kudos to Hutchison for wanting to be the first to announce a big contract for Texas, it was flat-out wrong. In fact, the Pentagon chose Europe-based EADS, parent of Airbus and U.S. partner Northrop Grumman for the $40 billion contract instead of Boeing. At 4:38 p.m., another Hutchison message - "please disregard earlier tanker statement."

-- Maria Recio

 

Obama responds to Clinton ad

New Clinton Ad Prompts Reply From Obama, The New York Times

-- Richard Stubbe

Huckabee to campaign in Fort Worth

GOP presidential hopeful Mike Huckabee is expected to soon arrive at Fort Worth's historic Stockyards to talk about his bid for the White House.

Already, a crowd of a couple dozen supporters are surrounding the area, some carrying "Huckabee for president" signs, others carrying "I like Mike" signs and t-shirts.

"I believe in Mike Huckabee," said Don Traylor, an Arkansas native who now lives in Saginaw. "He did a lot of good things in Arkansas and I think he can do it as president too.

"He's a man of honor and integrity."

-- Anna M. Tinsley

New polls rolling in

Two new statewide polls show Illinois Sen. Barack Obama building small but growing leads over New York Sen. Hillary Clinton as the Democratic presidential primary rolls toward Tuesday when the only poll that counts finally settles the battle for Texas.

Fox Dynamics' survey of 600 likely Democratic voters puts the race at Obama 48, Clinton 45. Obama's lead is a little larger in the Reuters/C-SPAN/Houston Chronicle poll of about 700 likely voters. There it's Obama 48, Clinton 42.

Both polls were taken Tuesday through Thursday have have about a 4 percentage point margin of error, so the Texas landscape is far from settled on the Democratic side.

The news for Clinton is a little better in Ohio, which also votes on Tuesday, as does Vermont and Rhode Island.

Fox has Clinton leading 46-38 in Ohio. And Reuters et al has her up by a much narrower 44-42 margin. The Ohio surveys match the Texas surveys when it comes to when, how many and margin of error.

-- John Moritz

Unprecedented early voting turnout in Tarrant County

From County Elections Administrator Steve Raborn:

At 1:30 PM today, approximately 103,000 Tarrant County voters have voted in person during the early voting period.  We have almost 6 hours of voting remaining, and we are currently receiving about 2,100 voters per hour countywide.  If that trend continues through the day (and it most likely picks up in the evening hours) we are on track to have a total of 22,500 voters today, which would give us a grand total of 114,500 voters over the entire period.

We have never seen this kind of early voting turnout in a Primary Election.

Early Voting for this election has been more like our non-Presidential general elections when we have the Governor’s race on the ballot.  In the 2006 General Election, Tarrant County had approximately 120,000 in-person early voters.

 Approximately 70% of the early voters have been voting in the Democratic Party Primary.

-Aman Batheja

A flattop for Noriega?

Yikes! Celinda Lake, pollster for Democratic U.S. Senate candidate Rick Noriega, got so carried away with enthusiasm for her client during a conference call with reporters Friday that she predicted Noriega would be "the next Jon Tester."  Tester, at left, a Democratic senator from Montana, unseated a GOP incumbent in 2006, but where will Noriega get that flattop?

-- Maria Recio

MoveOn is planning an Obama phone blitz

MoveOn.org says it's planning to bombard Texas voters with calls on behalf of Sen. Barack Obama beginning Sunday afternoon, remind some 400,000 Democrats to vote and caucus on Tuesday.

The calls will be made from a series of MoveOn-organized house parties across the state. The left-leaning political arm is boasting that it will be the largest one-day phone bank in presidential primary history.

Before they begin calling, MoveOn members will hear from actress Halle Berry, Sen. Ted Kennedy and former Texas Agriculture Commissiont Jim Hightower about the importance of Tuesday’s vote.

"The primary and caucus in Texas could very well be the decisive vote in the nominating process, and our members are fired up to help out" said Eli Pariser, MoveOn's executive director. "Not since the closing days of the 2004 presidential election have we seen this kind of response from our members."

-- John Moritz

Brief power outage at early voting location

Rumors are circulating about problems at a early voting location that lost power. Tarrant County Elections Administrator Steve Raborn gave us the lowdown in an email:

"Power was lost at the Southwest Community Center (6300 Welch) but has been restored.  The voting equipment is on a UPS backup system.  We dispatched extra batteries and a generator to the site, but while setting these up the power came back on.

 A clerk was stationed outside the site to let voters know that voting was still in process.  I’m not aware of anyone who didn’t get to vote."

 

UPDATE: And this was likely the cause.

-Aman Batheja

Clinton camp tries to change expectations

This photo was taken by our own David Kent. Apparently, someone in the posh Tower condos in downtown Fort Worth is not a fan of Obama.

Continuing on that theme, this memo just came in from the Hillary Clinton campaign:

To: Interested Parties

From: The Clinton Campaign

Date: Friday, February 29, 2008

RE: Obama Must-Wins

The media has anointed Barack Obama the presumptive nominee and he's playing the part.

With an eleven state winning streak coming out of February, Senator Obama is riding a surge of momentum that has enabled him to pour unprecedented resources into Texas, Ohio, Rhode Island and Vermont.

The Obama campaign and its allies are outspending us two to one in paid media and have sent more staff into the March 4 states.  In fact, when all is totaled, Senator Obama and his allies have outspent Senator Clinton by a margin of $18.4 million to $9.2 million on advertising in the four states that are voting next Tuesday.

Senator Obama has campaigned hard in these states.  He has spent time meeting editorial boards, courting endorsers, holding rallies, and - of course - making speeches.

If he cannot win all of these states with all this effort, there's a problem.

Should Senator Obama fail to score decisive victories with all of the resources and effort he is bringing to bear, the message will be clear:

Democrats, the majority of whom have favored Hillary in the primary contests held to date, have their doubts about Senator Obama and are having second thoughts about him as a prospective standard-bearer.

Mike Huckabee in Fort Worth Stockyards

GOP Presidential hopeful Mike Huckabee is scheduled to take a 4 p.m. tour of the Fort Worth Stockyards today, before holding a media availability.

Huckabee, the Fort Worth-trained preacher turned politician, might just draw out a few familar faces from the days he studied at the Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary in Fort Worth a few decades ago.

-- Anna M. Tinsley

Hillary Clinton's new ad

From The New York Times blog The Caucus:

Clinton’s National Security Ad

And here's the clip:

-- Richard Stubbe

Prisons, lawsuits, Clinton, Obama, McCain: Around the state Friday

Last day of early voting, four days till  Election Day:

Texas leads way as U.S. prisons hit record levels, Star-Telegram.

State's Democratic Party braces for lawsuit, Jay Root, Star-Telegram.

Clinton calls for cleaner fuels at energy conference, Houston Chronicle

Poll: McCain and Obama lead in Texas, Houston Chronicle

Hearing on HD46 issue set for today, Laylan Copelin, Austin American-Statesman. This is the Brian Thompson-Dawnna Dukes race.

Obama cheered by Fort Worth supporters, Anna M. Tinsley, Star-Telegram.

McCain stumps in Richardson, Aman Batheja, Star-Telegram.

Few comment at meeting on border fence, Louie Gilot, El Paso Times

House candidate named in ethics complaint, Brandi Grissom, El Paso Times

Hit delete: E-mail lies about Obama are a breeding ground for uncritical thinking, Houston Chronicle editorial

-- Richard Stubbe

Suing over the primary-caucus system a bad idea, Dems say

The quick-time reaction from some Democratic insiders to the Star-Telegram's report this morning that Sen. Hillary Clinton's campaign may be contemplating court action over Texas' unique primary-caucus system of selecting national convention delegates would be a bit of a bone-headed move.

The report by Austin Bureau Chief Jay Root quotes the top lawyer for the Texas Democratic Party expressing concern that any such litigation could undermine what many see as a re-energizing process for the out-of-power party fueled by the spicy-hot presidental primary campaign between Clinton of New York of Illinois Sen. Barack Obama.

The lawyer, Chad Dunn, doesn't say which of the candidates is contemplating court action. But Root quotes anonymous sources saying the Clinton camp has "raised the spector" of challenging the procedure for selecting delagates.

The primary is Tuesday. And early voting, which ends today, has been off the charts, suggesting a record turnout for a Democratic primary.

Democratic blogger Philip Martin writes in the left-leaning Burnt Orange Report that going to court at this stage "is the worst thing that could happen."

"Talk about torpedoing every opportunity raised by the incredible turnout from the Clinton and Obama campaigns in Texas," Martin says in the blog post. "Hopefully, this is all just a lot of talk and nothing materializes it.

Veteran Democratic consultant Kelly Fero, who's not aligned in the presidential race, says he doubts that any court action would inflict serious damage to the party.

"It’s an inside baseball, process-heavy maneuver that most people won’t notice," Fero says in an e-mail to PoliTex. "As for HRC (Clinton's initials), I don’t think voters who remember the 36 days in South Florida back in 2000 or the Tom DeLay-driven redistricting scheme in 2003 have any appetite for a candidate trying to achieve in court what she may not be able to achieve at the ballot box."

Stay tuned.

-- John Moritz

Hillary Clinton to attend funeral

Democratic presidential hopeful Hillary Clinton is planning on attending funeral services today for the Dallas police officer in her motorcade who died last week.

Clinton is expected to attend the 11 a.m. funeral and later in the day hold campaign events in Waco and San Antonio.

She cut short her Fort Worth rally last Friday, after Senior Cpl. Victor Lozada Tirado died after crashing his motorcycle into a concrete barrier. That local rally is rescheduled for 12:45 p.m. tomorrow in the Fort Worth Stockyards.

-- Anna M. Tinsley

Annunziato blasts Geren in TV ad

Optometrist Tom Annunziato is airing a TV ad against his primary opponent, state Rep. Charlie Geren of Fort Worth. We had heard that the ad was airing on cable but we saw it on NBC around 7:30 a.m. this morning.

We noted the intense bitterness in this race as seen in Annunziato's negative mailers in this story earlier this month. If you scroll to the bottom of that story, you'll see Geren's response to the charge that he's soft on illegal immigration, which Annunziato makes again in this commercial.

You can see some of Annunziato's mailers for yourself here.

(The unintentionally funny part of the clip comes at the 22-second mark, when it looks like Annunziato's campaign is saying that his plan to get tough on illegal immigrants is to check them for cataracts).

-Aman Batheja

Warm thoughts for Obama?

Barack Obama temporarily swayed from his speech to a Fort Worth crowd to inquire about someone in the crowd.

"Is someone over there feeling faint?" he asked. "Can someone get water and an EMT over there?"

-- Anna M. Tinsley

Obama speaks in Fort Worth

Barack Obama, greeted by thunderous applause in the Fort Worth Convention Center's arena, took a few minutes to quiet the area.

He said he's running for president because of what Dr. Martin Luther King called the "fierce urgency of now."

"We are at a defining moment in history," he said. "Our nation is at war. Our planet is in peril. And the dream so many fought for feels like it's slipping away.

"We cannot wait."

-- Anna M. Tinsley

"Yes, we can"

As a music video coined off Barack Obama's trademark saying -- "Yes we can" -- members of the audience started chanting it with the song.

Now the audience is chanting and clapping, "Yes we can."

-- Anna M. Tinsley

Obama overflow

Shortly after 7:30 p.m. officials at the convention center opened the overflow rooms, where there is standing room only for those who want to watch Barack Obama.

So far, at nearly 8 p.m., there are about 1,000 people in those rooms, bringing the grand total of the crowd up to about 12,000.

-- Anna M. Tinsley

Almost full for Obama

Just a few seats remain unfilled in the Fort Worth Convention Center's arena, less than an hour before Barack Obama is scheduled to take the stage. The arena seats 10,500, plus there's room for another 1,000 on the floor.

The previously fairly subdued crowd is starting to perk up, doing the wave, listening to the song, "Your love keeps lifting me higher" and waving "Obama 08" signs.

-- Anna M. Tinsley

The Obama line grows longer

The eight people who were at the Fort Worth Convention Center early this morning for tonight's Barack Obama rally have been joined by a few others -- several hundred others, actually, as Star-Telegram photographer Tom Pennington has documented.

If you're about to be driving in that part of downtown Fort Worth, you might want to reconsider.

-- Richard Stubbe

Filling up for Obama

The music is blaring and people lined up to see Barack Obama at 8 p.m. tonight are already flowing into the arena at the Fort Worth Convention Center -- despite the fact that doors weren't supposed to open until 6 p.m.

Less than 30 minutes after they started allowing the crowd in, about half the seats in the arena are already full.

Rosalind Evans was one of many who were waiting outside before the doors opened.

She, her three sons -- ages 2, 9 and 10 -- and her mother were in line, waiting for her husband to arrive from Dallas.

"But we're here for historic reasons," Evans said. "Our boys said they wanted to see Obama.

"He represents change and then there's hope too," she said. "He has energized a whole new generation."

-- Anna M. Tinsley

T-shirt sales jump as Obama lines grow longer

Shedric Hunter is a political junkie and a sidewalk salesman. He has been following Barack Obama's campaign across the country, stationing himself outside the candidate's rallies and selling T-shirts emblazoned with the face of Obama, the White House in the background.

"This is our little contribution fo the campaign," said Hunter, 63, explaining that half of his $6,000 in T-shirt sales so far has been donated to Obama's pursuit to become president.

A Los Angeles resident, Hunter was in Duncanville for an Obama appearance on Wednesday and he plans to be outside the convention center in Fort Worth Thursday for the Democratic candidate's rally, selling his stock of T-shirts - $10 a piece for regular sizes and $15 for extra-large sizes.

He is among a growing number of vendors that have jumped on Obama's bandwagon of popularity as he races with with Hillary Clinton for the Democratic Party's presidential nomination. The vendors work the long lines, selling hamburgers, hot dogs and T-shirts just like they do at sports events and rock star concerts.

"I haven't been excited like this since the 60s," said Hunter. "I didn't think I'd see this in my lifetime ... than an African-American is truly in contention for the presidency."

--Jack Douglas Jr.

Obama fans in Fort Worth

Stu Lewis and Zack Brown decided to skip school Thursday -- with their parents' OK -- for a history lesson.

They showed up at the Fort Worth Convention Center at 6 a.m. to wait out the chance to see Democratic presidential hopeful Barack Obama at a rally that would kick off 14 hours later.

They, needless to say, were first in line.

And Brown, a 16-year-old at All Saint's in Fort Worth, isn't even old enough to vote.

"I'm a volunteer, though, for his campaign," Brown said. "I've made over 200 calls for him, trying to get people out to vote.

"I think I should hear him, if I do that," he said. "Plus, I'll be able to vote when he's up for re-election."

-- Anna M. Tinsley

John McCain in Richardson

Cellphone cameras are extremely convenient, and they can send photos in a hurry. However, the quality can leave something to be desired, especially when the target is moving. This picture by Aman Batheja is of John McCain in Richardson today.

-- Richard Stubbe

Actors getting in on the Obama act at UTA

Who isn't rallying around here? UTA's public affairs office just sent out a release saying that TV stars ors Sophia Bush of One Tree Hill and Adam Rodriguez of CSI Miami are scheduled to be on campus this Friday to turn out the vote for Barack Obama. See them at 5:30 p.m. in the Palo Duro Lounge of the E.H. Hereford University Center, 300 W. First St.  The event is being sponsored by the student organization University Democrats and is open to the public. 

- Kristin Sullivan

Obama crowd growing in Fort Worth

The crowd around the Fort Worth Convention Center is slowly growing, as time slowly inches closer to the "Stand for Change" rally Democratic presidential hopeful Barack Obama will hold there tonight at 8 p.m.

Some locals began gathering around 8 a.m. today and as of around 2 p.m., nearly 100 were in line -- some in lawn chairs, others on blankets and still more just standing. This is in stark contrast to the crowd that gathered at Dallas' Reunion Arena last week, with lines wrapping around the building and into a nearby parking garage several hours before doors were set to open.

In Fort Worth, the doors are scheduled to open at 6 p.m.

-- Anna M. Tinsley

LBJ's extended family divided on Hillary, Obama

Just as the Kennedys are torn between Illinois Sen. Barack Obama and New York Sen. Hillary Clinton in the Democratic presidential sweepstakes, so too is the extended family of former President Lyndon B. Johnson.

Lyndon Nugent, the grandson and namesake of the nation's 36th president, has been campaigning on behalf of Obama as the campaign moved to Texas in advance of Tuesday's primary.

Liz Carpenter, the longtime aide and friend of Lady Bird Johnson, endorsed Clinton today. Carpenter, who's in the "practically family" if not actual-family category when it comes to the Johnsons, had been a backer of former Sen. John Edwards before his campaign folded.

“I’m for Hillary because she has been tested,” said Carpenter in a statement. “She has faced both private and public challenges.  She understands America’s social conflicts and pushes for solutions.  With her positive profile and strength she will repair international relationships.”

Earlier in this whirlwind election cycle, there was much ado as Sen. Edward Kennedy, Caroline Kennedy and Ethel Kenney announced support for Obama while Kathleen Kennedy and Robert F. Kenndy Jr. (Ethel's grown children) backed Clinton.

No word on the sentiments of LBJ's daughters, at least not yet.

The Kennedy-Johnson association dates back to the 1960 campaign when JFK chose LBJ as his running mate.

-- John Moritz

Another switch -- this one to Clinton

The Hillary Clinton campaign announced that El Paso County Commissioner and former Barack Obama supporter Veronica Escobar has switched her support to Hillary Clinton.

-- Richard Stubbe

Mark White is impressed with Obama's campaign

Former Gov. Mark White sounded like he was only half kidding when asked about what he was doing to help Sen. Barack Obama win the Texas Democratic primary next Tuesday.

"Staying out of the way so I don't mess something up," White, who was governor from 1983 until '87 and endorsed Obama for president on Tuesday, told PoliTex in a brief phone interview this afternoon.

"I'll tell you what. This is probably the best-run campaign in American history, and I've been involved in them since 1976 when I was (Texas) secretary of state," he added. "If this guy runs the country like he's run his campaign, we're all in for a happy surprise."

Both Obama and New York Sen. Hillary Clinton have made countless campaign appearances in the Lone Star State since the eyes of the political world turned to Texas 10 days ago. So have their spouses and sundry surrogates, and that trend's not likely to change until the vote-counting starts.

Many observers say Texas could end up deciding who the Democrats will nominate for general election campaign.

-- John Moritz

Time change for Alan Keyes

Republican presidential candidate Alan Keyes will speak at Texas Wesleyan University at 12:30 p.m. Friday. (This is a schedule change.) His appearance is hosted by the Texas Wesleyan College Republicans.

The event is free and open to the public. Martin Hall is in the Ann Waggoner Fine Arts Building, 1309 Wesleyan St.

Nader's VP pick is a native Texan

Independent presidential candidate Ralph Nader announced his veep choice Thursday: Matt Gonzalez, a San Francisco lawyer and Green Party activist who is from McAllen. Gonzalez, 42, is a former member of the San Francisco Board of Supervisors and came close to becoming mayor in 2003. Gonzalez, at left in an undated photograph, is a 1987 graduate of Columbia University and a Stanford Law graduate.

"It is an honor for me to run with Mr. Nader," said Gonzalez at a National Press Club appearance with Nader."I share his politics."

But Nader does not share Gonzalez' Green Party ties and said that he would not seek the Green Party presidential nomination and its prized ballot lines in 21 states. Nader pledged to run a 50-state campaign "as a matter of respect for the voters" and to fight off anticipated Democratic Party efforts to keep him off the ballot with a phalanx of pro-bono lawyers. "We're going to be ready for them," said Nader.

-- Maria Recio

Superman swoops in to Texas primary

  Comic book geeks near and far know about Scott Hinze's radio talk show, Fanboy Radio, which airs on Fort Worth's KTCU/88.7 FM. Hinze normally interviews some of the top comic book artists and writers in the biz.

This week, Hinze decided to switch course and take a Fanboy-related take on the Texas primary.

He interviewed Obama supporter Brandon Routh (of Superman Returns) and Clinton backers Sean Astin (of Lord of the Rings, and, more importantly, the Goonies) and John Grisham (um...Super Lawyer Novelist?). 

A podcast of the show is here.

-Aman Batheja

Fort Worth transportation director to join Ott in Austin

Marc Ott, who just left Fort Worth to become the new city manager in Austin, has hired away one of his Fort Worth colleagues, according to the Austin American-Statesman. Robert Goode is Fort Worth's transportation director.

-- Richard Stubbe

Veasey named to statewide think tank

State Rep. Marc Veasey of Fort Worth is among 24 new members named to a non-partisan think tank that seeks to bring together people of wide-ranging backgrounds and viewpoints to offer solutions to issues at the local, state and national levels.

Veasey, 37, is a Democrat who has served in the Texas House since 2005.

Also named to the Texas Lyceum project were state Rep. Allen Vought of Dallas and Fort Worth businessman Michael Micallef, president of JMK Holdings Management Co. Another Fort Worth leader, attorney Jay Rutherford, will serve as the Lyceum's president in 2009. He is a partner in the Jackson Walker Law Firm.

Texas Lyceum is a non-profit organization consisting of 96 men and women from all over Texas who begin their six-year term while under the age of 46, and who have demonstrated leadership in their community and profession.

The organization's current or former members include President Bush, U.S. Sen. Kay Bailey Hutchison, Gov. Rick Perry, former Texas Comptroller John Sharp, Education Secretary Margaret Spellings, Houston Mayor Bill White and state Sens. Rodney Ellis of Houston and Kirk Watson of Austin.

-- John Moritz

Eight people in line for Obama before 9 a.m.

Outside the Fort Worth Convention Center (doors open at 6 p.m.)

State GOP: Don't forget about us

We noted on Sunday the striking reasons why some Republicans are voting in the Democratic primary this year.

Today we have examples of how the Texas GOP is trying to (metaphorically) frantically wave its arms and call out, "Hey, we've got a primary too!"

Today's story referred to a letter sent out by Charlie Geren's re-election campaign. It was signed by several local Republicans including businessman Ed Bass. You can see the letter here.

-Aman Batheja

More local commentary

PoliTex welcomes your comments, although the comments don't post immediately because an actual person has to approve them first. So there's no need to post twice, or three times, or (as one of you did) four times. If you're looking for more commentary from readers on the election, the Star-Telegram's editorial page has a letters blog called Passionate Prose at this link.

-- Richard Stubbe

Around the state: Defectors, plates, border fence

Clinton loses longtime allies to Obama, Jay Root, Star-Telegram

License plates get new look, new digit, Star-Telegram

They're loving Texas Democrats now, R.G. Ratcliffe and Gary Scharrer, Houston Chronicle

McCain, stumping in Texas, sets sights on Obama, Mike Ward, Austin American-Statesman

Bill Clinton brings case for Hillary to Austin, Kate Alexander, Austin American-Stateman

Selby: Did Obama and Clinton short Texas?, W. Gardner Selby commentary, American-Statesman

Glitches force 3-year delay in 'virtual fence' along border, Spencer S. Hsu, Washington Post

On trail, candidates reuse signs as they go, Asher Price, American-Statesman

1,200 in El Paso hear George Lopez back Obama, El Paso Times

In S.A., McCain aims at Obama, mysa.com

Democratic presidential hopefuls hit up Hispanics for crucial votes, The (McAllen) Monitor

Louisiana Governor Pierces Business as Usual, The New York Times visits that state next door

-- Richard Stubbe

Poll shows Clinton with big lead among Latinos

The news has been grim for Hillary Clinton lately, but a new poll has lifted spirits of the former first lady's Texas campaign.

The Texas A&M/Latino Decisions poll gives the New York senator a 62-22 lead among Hispanic voters who are self-described Democrats, the poll found.

-- Jay Root

Moveon.org plans Texas phone blitz for Obama

The online advocacy group Moveon.org plans to ``burst'' into 400,000 Texas homes Sunday evening when nearly 2,000 ``Yes We Can'' parties across the nation will dial up voters to put a bug in their ear about supporting Barack Obama in the March 4 primary and caucus.

You might even get a cell call from someone with a Texas drawl, 13 parties are already scheduled within a 30-mile radius of central Fort Worth.

Los Angeles Times blogger Don Frederick, who admits to once working for a Texas newspaper, notes that the Moveon phone army will get a pre-blitz pep talk from notable Obama backers like Sen. Ted Kennedy, former Texas politician Jim Hightower and actress Halle Berry.

It's uncertain whether Halle will ring up any voters, but that's a call we'll accept.

Steve Campbell

Record primary turnout forecast for Texas

Texas' top elections official is predicting that voters will shatter the turnout record for the primary when all is said and done on Tuesday.

Secretary of State Phil Wilson said he expects a turnout of about 3.3 million. That works out to about 26 percent of all registered voters. That would top the record set in 1988 when about 2.7 million Texans cast ballots in the primary.

Through Wednesday, about 511,000 people in the top 10 most populous counties voted in the Democratic primary since early balloting began Feb. 19. By contrast, only 172,000 voted early so far on the Republican side.

Most observers say the disparity can be attributed to the red-hot contest between Illinois Sen. Barack Obama and New York Sen. Hillary Clinton in the Democratic presidential race. Republican Sen. John McCain of Arizona is far ahead in the GOP contest.

Early voting ends Friday. Polls are open Tuesday from 7 a.m. till 7 p.m.

-- John Moritz

More defections from Clinton to Obama

The bleeding continues over at Camp Clinton.

Word has reached PoliTex (and confirmed by Barack Obama spokesman Josh Earnest) that state Rep. Senfronia Thompson, a Democratic superdelegate from Houston, has abandoned Hillary Clinton and now supports the senator from Illinois. That's her pictured on the left.

It came on the heels of the announcement by U.S. Rep. John Lewis, a Georgia Democratic superdelegate, that he was giving up on Clinton and going with Obama.

Earlier this week, Bexar County Tax-Assessor Collector Sylvia Romo -- not a superdelegate but a popular elected leader in San Antonio -- defected from Clinton to Obama.

Romo said the two candidates had similar stands on the issues but she complained that Hillary's campaign was disorganized and never even called her.

-- Jay Root

Entry to an Obama rally could hinge on the color of your ticket

DUNCANVILLE - The chances of getting into a crammed high school gymnasium here Wednesday for a Barack Obama rally often hinged on the color of the admission ticket.

People holding white tickets breezed in, passing thousands of Obama believers who, instead, held blue tickets that were handed out when they assembled into long lines at Duncanville High School.

So where did the white tickets come from? "Don't worry about it," said one man, refusing to give his name and wearing an Obama "staff" button, when asked about the origin of the white express tickets.

Barbara Fields of DeSoto said a friend told her where to get her white ticket a day before the rally. "It guarantees you a seat, I'm told," said Fields, moments before she was ushered into the gymn.

Jon Apgar, a Dallas lawyer, wasn't so lucky. He held a blue ticket and was still in line as the time approached for Obama to show up. Apgar, of German and Austrian descent, was hoping he would make it inside on time because "I want to be a part of a historical event."

--Jack Douglas Jr.

U.S. Texas delegation divided

The congressional Texas Democrats met for their weekly lunch Wednesday in, appropriately enough, the Texas room of the U.S. Capitol, and, also appropriately, they reflected the state's split as the presidential primary approaches March 4.

Eight of the state's 13 Democrats made it to the lunch. There were four Hillary Clinton supporters: Solomon Ortiz of Corpus Christi, Ruben Hinojosa of Mercedes, Gene Green of Houston and Henry Cuellar of Laredo. There were two Barack Obama supporters, Chet Edwards of Waco and Eddie Bernice Johnson of Dallas. And there were two undecideds, Nick Lampson of Stafford and Ciro Rodriguez of San Antonio.

Asked if they talked about the primary, Rodriguez joked, "That's all we did."

"I'm still undecided," he said, "because I have people on both sides, including my wife, who's with Hillary. I'm going to hold off."

Edwards, who just recently threw his support to Obama, said, "I have never seen the kind of grass-roots enthusiasm for any candidate that I have seen for Barack Obama, and that bodes well for him in the caucuses."

Cuellar said that he and Edwards joked about getting invitations to the White House. "I told the Obama folks that when Hillary wins, I'd get them invited over to the White House," said Cuellar.

"I think Senator Obama has momentum," said Green. "I still think Senator Clinton can carry our district." As for the Texas result? "I think it'll be close."

Any tensions? "We are a 'Texas family,'  and we respect each other’s right to freely express our conscience and endorse whomever we choose,” said Edwards.

-- Maria Recio

Perry weighs in on local House races

Gov. Rick Perry’s political action committee made some major last-minute contributions to two local Republican house races this week, just days before the March 4th primary, according to campaign finance records.

Texans for Rick Perry gave $25,000 Monday to Weatherford State Rep. Phil King’s campaign, who is facing former Weatherford Mayor Joe Tison in the primary. The PAC also gave $10,000 that day to Arlington State Rep. Bill Zedler, who faces a primary opponent in Fort Worth Police Officer Lee Jackson.

-Aman Batheja

Students astonished by Obama crowd

DUNCANVILLE - Students at Duncanville High School, fresh out of classes and standing in their parking lot, watched in amazement Wednesday as crowds gathered to hear Barack Obama.

"We've never like had a presidential candidate come up here," said 17-year-old Justin Minton, a junior. "I think it's good."

Alexis Delafuente, 16, a sophmore, agreed. "It's crazy. There's CIA here. I waved at them," said Delafuente, confusing Secret Service agents with the Central Intelligence Agency.

She said students were told a day ahead of time that a big "event" would happen at their school, but they were never told it would be a visit from the leading presidential candidate in the Democratic Party.

Stefan Carter, 17, a junior, said he was just glad that teachers were not requiring students to attend Obama's rally in the jammed-packed school gymnasium, adorned with state champion flags for the Panther basketball team.

"I might make an appearance," Carter shrugged, but "it's not mandatory."

-Jack Douglas Jr.

Two more days of early voting

It appears that about 70,000 voters have had no problem finding the early voting locations in Tarrant County so far, but here's a reminder anyway: Friday is the last day for early voting in the county. Here are the locations; the polls are open from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. both days, and any registered voter can vote at any location.

-- Richard Stubbe

Primary obsession? Don't worry, it's good for you

Have you been spending way too much time watching debates, posting stinging comments and googling Obama turban? Don't worry, because, just like sex, it's good for you!

That's the conclusion of neuro-pharmacologist John D. Roache, Ph.D, professor in the Department of Psychiatry at The University of Texas Health Science at San Antonio. The doctor's assessment: ``These political campaigns are having biological effects in people who are closely following the debates, participating in rallies or actively campaigning. Regardless of political orientation, involvement is activating the brain, whether it is engaging cognitive and learning processes or arousing emotion and engaging physical activity. Probably none of it is harmful and most of it is good to promote health.”

OK, here's the sex connection. The health science center's news release says your noodle is hot-wired with systems that control attention, learning and behavioral activation in motivational processes such as hunger, sex drive and social involvement. Clearly, the release says, interest in politics can be arousing and engaging, and stimulates many of these same processes.

“As we listen to the candidates and think about what is being said, the brain processes the information, which grows neural connections and increases the neurochemical signaling that is associated with learning and memory,” Dr. Roache said. “If we become emotionally engaged and even become politically active by going to a rally or actively campaigning for a candidate, then the greater levels of emotion or commitment further enhance the brain processes and connect them all the more with the emotion and physical activity involved.”

We feel better already.

Steve Campbell

Wendy Davis needs a vacuum cleaner

Despite her high-profile battle to stay on the ballot, Democrat Wendy Davis has kept pretty quiet during this otherwise newsy primary season.

Of course, Davis isn't facing a primary opponent in her bid to unseat Republican State Sen. Kim Brimer of Fort Worth in November. In fact, she's just now setting up her campaign office and, according to an email sent out by her campaign this morning, is in need of some office furniture and supplies. From the email:

To help the campaign, we need items of furniture and office equipment that are in good repair:

• Refrigerator
• Microwave
• Coffee Pot
• Desks
• Office Chairs
• Office Dividers or Cubicles
• File Cabinets
• Paper Shredder
• Vacuum Cleaner
• Cleaning Supplies

We are also in continuous need of:

• Copy Paper
• Snacks for Volunteers (i.e. coke, cookies, crackers, etc.)
• Stamps

Anyone got some spare paper clips?

-Aman Batheja

McCain attacks Obama in Tyler

More from Star-Telegram columnist Bud Kennedy who is in Tyler for a John McCain campaign event . His first post is below.

McCain is already campaigning against Barack Obama.

He started his comments in Tyler by criticizing Obama for saying Tuesday night that he would withdraw troops from Iraq, but  take military action if Al-Qaeda ever set up another base there.

"I have some news," McCain said. "Al-Qaeda is in Iraq. It's called 'Al- Qaeda in Iraq.' To say you'd go back to Iraq if Al-Qaeda established a base -- that's pretty remarkable."

McCain did not mention Sen. Hillary Clinton for 15 minutes before criticizing both Clinton and Obama over congressional earmarks.

McCain draws a crowd in Tyler

Star-Telegram columnist Bud Kennedy is at John McCain's campaign event in Tyler and sends this report and photo: