Texas Democratic Senate Primary Is Close

Hope springs eternal, even in the very red state of Texas. The odds are very long for Texas electing a Democrat to the United States Senate this year, but that hasn't prevented four candidates from vying for the position this year in the state's Democratic primary (which will be held next week). And surprisingly, I am not horrified by the candidates this time around (because there doesn't seem to be a die-hard blue dog in the bunch). That's a pleasant surprise, and if this continues in the future with other races, then the party might be able to re-establish itself statewide.

I have noticed that several of my fellow progressive Texas bloggers have endorsed Sean Hubbard, who may be the most progressive candidate in the race. But Paul Sadler, the only one of the four who has held a significant elected office (as state representative), has also staked out some pretty progressive positions on several important issues. And I don't doubt that Addie Dainell Allen, the only woman running for the office, would vote for progressive issues if sent to Washington. I really don't know anything at all about the fourth candidate, Grady Yarbrough.

I am not going to endorse anyone in this race. While I will probably vote for Addie Dainell Allen, I could easily support either Hubbard or Sadler if they win the nomination. It will be interesting to see which candidate does the best job of turning out their supporters next Tuesday. And that will be the deciding factor, since the latest Texas Tribune/University of Texas Poll shows all three candidates are pretty close in support. In fact, it could come down to a run-off. Here are the poll numbers:

Paul Sadler...............29%
Sean Hubbard...............25%
Addie Dainell Allen...............19%
Grady Yarbrough...............15%
Undecided...............11%

The 15% garnered by Yarbrough seems a little high to me (since he has done little campaigning and is largely unknown). I suspect that some voters think he might be related to former senator Ralph Yarborough, who is still revered by many older Democratic voters in Texas (including me). But there is no relation -- note that even the names are spelled differently.

And for those of you who are interested, here are the TT/UT poll numbers for the Republican senate primary race:

David Dewhurst...............40%
Ted Cruz...............31%
Tom Leppert...............17%
Craig James...............4%
Lela Pittenger...............3%
Glenn Addison...............2%
Curt Cleaver...............1%
Joe Argis...............1%
Ben Gambini...............0%
Undecided...............2%

It looks like that race may also go to a run-off. If so, that might give Ted Cruz (the Palin-supported teabagger) a chance, since he could pick up support from the teabagger "also-rans" in the race. If I was a betting man though, I'd still put my money on Dewhurst.

My only other thought on the Republican contest is that I am thoroughly enjoying the complete lack of support for Craig James. His football fame and ESPN job have done him no good at all.