Texas is one of the biggest Super Tuesday prizes. Here’s what the candidates have planned
Democratic presidential hopefuls are making the trek to Texas, hoping to strike it rich in votes and delegates here on Super Tuesday.
So don’t be surprised if you see suddenly see campaign offices open — or if more candidates come to personally ask for your support.
Winning Texas would mean picking up a generous share of the 261 delegates the Lone Star State has to allocate to Democratic presidential candidates.
“For the primary season, Texas is very important,” said Jim Riddlesperger, a political science professor at TCU. “Texas could have a large role in determining who the Democrats nominate.”
Texans head to the polls March 3 to cast primary ballots on Super Tuesday. Early voting runs through Feb. 28.
But because more than a dozen states also weigh in on Super Tuesday, candidates don’t have the luxury of holding small events and talking one-on-one with voters as they did in Iowa and New Hampshire.
“It will be entirely wholesale politics with candidates communicating only with large crowds and via the media,” Riddlesperger said. “The candidates will come through Texas, but they will also have to go to California and 12 other states.”
Texas doesn’t often have a say in the presidential race, because the nominations generally are all but solidified by the time voters here head to the polls.
But recent elections have been different, from the Democratic battle between Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton in 2008 to the GOP battle that included Donald Trump and Ted Cruz in 2016. Trump held at least three rallies in Fort Worth and Dallas before voters headed to the polls in November 2016.
And this year, several Democratic presidential candidates are still duking it out for their party’s nomination.
Republicans are out campaigning as well, hoping to keep the traditionally conservative Tarrant County red for all races.
“We all know what happened here in 2018, which is why we’re kicking off early voting right here in Tarrant County,” U.S. Sen. John Cornyn recently told supporters. “Fort Worth is ground zero for Republicans and we’re not only going to turn Tarrant red again, but we’re going to make sure Republicans win — and win big — from the White House to the courthouse.”
Campaigning in Texas
Here’s a look at what some presidential candidates are doing in Texas.
Joe Biden: The former vice president has staff working on his behalf in Austin, Dallas, Houston and San Antonio. He hired a Texas director, political consultant Jane Hamilton of Dallas, and he has picked up endorsements from dozens of Texans, including U.S. Rep. Marc Veasey of Fort Worth and state Rep. Chris Turner of Grand Prairie.
He has visited several Texas cities to speak with supporters, most recently stopping in Tarrant County to speak to the National Baptist Convention Mid-Winter Board Meeting in Arlington. “Joe Biden has built a broad and diverse coalition in Texas and across the country — the exact type of coalition that we know it will take to beat Donald Trump,” campaign spokeswoman Meira Bernstein said. “Our campaign is going to continue to put in the hard work on the ground in Texas to be successful on March 3.”
Michael Bloomberg: The billionaire and former New York mayor has set up more than a dozen offices across Texas. He has more than 100 campaign staffers throughout the state and has been airing TV commercials here for weeks. He has campaigned in Texas five times since announcing his candidacy and he has picked up dozens of endorsements here, including one from Jana Sanchez, a former local congressional candidate and Democratic activist.
“Texas is incredibly important to the campaigns overall strategy,” said Elizabeth Lewis, a campaign spokeswoman in Texas. “Mike Bloomberg is campaigning in places traditionally left out of the primary process and he is the only candidate running a national campaign to defeat Donald Trump in November.” He has a campaign office at 3017 W. 7th St., Suite 200, in Fort Worth.
Pete Buttigieg: The former mayor from South Bend, Indiana, has been to Texas for a number of private fundraisers. He went to Dallas in January for a private forum with area leaders. And he sent dozens of staffers to Texas after placing high in Iowa and New Hampshire. A new Pete for America organizer is now working in Fort Worth.
His campaign even planned recent debate watch parties with volunteers in several Texas cities: Abilene, Austin, Dallas, Lubbock, Midland, San Angelo and Sugar Land. And they planned a day of action On Feb. 26, he’s opening a Fort Worth campaign office at 6750 Locke Ave., Suite 202, in Fort Worth. “We are going all out in DFW,” said Michelle Quintana, a lead volunteer for the campaign in the Mid-Cities area.
Amy Klobuchar: The U.S. senator from Minnesota recently picked up an endorsement by the Houston Chronicle. And her campaign has said she will have “staff on the ground in every super Tuesday state.”
But the Washington Post recently reported that her campaign is struggling to decide whether it’s worth it to compete in large Super Tuesday states such as Texas. It’s harder to campaign here, than in other states, because of “the sheer dollars” needed, a Klobuchar adviser told the Post.
Bernie Sanders: The Vermont senator already campaigned in North Texas, holding a Valentine’s Day rally in Mesquite. He’s buying $2.5 million in advertising in Texas and California and is opening campaign offices in Austin, Dallas, Houston and San Antonio. There are no Sanders offices in Tarrant County.
He’s holding more rallies in Texas and announced co-chairs of his campaign in Texas that include Dallas attorney S. Lee Merritt. “We are going to win the state of Texas,” he told the Mesquite crowd.
Tom Steyer: The philanthropist and billionaire recently hired a state director in Texas, Omar El-Halwagi. And he, too, has been airing campaign ads on TV. “We’re ready to mobilize voters, show up strong on Super Tuesday, and move our state — and the nation — one step closer to meaningful climate action, environmental justice, and direct democracy,” El-Halwagi told the Texas Tribune.
Elizabeth Warren: The U.S. senator from Massachusetts has staffers working in several Texas cities, including Fort Worth, Austin, Dallas and San Antonio. Warren, who taught at UT in Austin and graduated from the University of Houston, has had campaign staff on the ground in Texas since August.
“Our campaign is committed to competing for every single vote in Texas,” said Alexis Krieg, a campaign spokeswoman. “Warren is the only candidate who has a track record of mobilizing a national grassroots movement while also building the bridges our party needs to unite and defeat Donald Trump in November.” There is a campaign office in Fort Worth at 612 Eighth Ave., which is open from 5-9 p.m. Monday through Friday, and 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. Saturdays and Sundays.
This story was originally published February 21, 2020 at 10:23 AM.
