AUSTIN, Texas – As early voting enters its second week, the state has witnessed a significant surge, with over one million ballots cast. Central Texas has contributed notably to this increase, with more than 100,000 residents participating since early voting commenced on February 17.
Travis County has reported more than 75,000 votes, while Williamson County has seen over 35,000 submissions. Hays County follows with upwards of 14,000 votes recorded.
Brian Smith, a political science professor at St. Edward’s University, emphasizes Texas’s strong tradition of early voting. He notes that this year, particularly in the primary elections, enthusiasm is higher than in the previous midterm cycle. “For a mid-year election, there usually isn’t a lot of excitement, but this time around, we have two real top-tier races for the Democratic and Republican Senate nominations,” he stated.
The spotlight has largely been on the Democratic contest between James Talarico and Jasmine Crockett, which has escalated into a heated clash. The Lone Star Rising PAC, which supports Talarico, has recently launched a series of negative advertisements aimed at undermining Crockett’s viability as a candidate against Republicans. One ad ominously concludes, “If she wins, we lose.”
Crockett’s campaign has retaliated with its own attack ad, raising concerns about the funding sources for Talarico’s super PAC. This advertisement claims that a super PAC backed by a billionaire has allocated $5.4 million in “dark money” to bolster Talarico’s campaign.
The final week of early voting commenced on Monday, and the turnout thus far is surpassing that of the last midterm election. Smith observes that the prevalence of negative advertising has become a common strategy among political candidates. “We know the negative ads are often more memorable and actually more informative because if you make an accusation, you have to back it up with the data,” he remarked.
Crockett’s campaign further elaborated on the dark money issue in a statement released on Monday. The statement highlighted recent Federal Election Commission filings revealing that billionaire AI investor Reid Hoffman is a principal contributor to Talarico’s super PAC. It also referenced Hoffman’s connections to controversial figures and events, suggesting that significant portions of the funding originate from a complex web of undisclosed sources.
At a rally in San Marcos, Talarico addressed the allegations of dark money. He clarified that super PACs do not contribute directly to his campaign. “I legally have no influence on an outside group, whether they’re supporting me, whether they’re against me, whether they’re neutral in the race, all I have control over is my campaign,” Talarico stated.
He urged a shift in focus from infighting among Democrats to addressing the serious implications associated with the Epstein case. “I don’t know anything about outside groups and what they do, and I think instead of attacking our fellow Democrats, we should be focused on getting to the bottom of the Epstein case,” he said.
