(AFP) – Early voting began Monday in Texas, home to some of the most closely watched races in November’s midterm elections, with Democrats hopeful for historic victories in the traditional Republican stronghold. Lines formed early at a Houston polling station, as Texas voters weighed a choice between Democrats campaigning on economic concerns and Republicans aligned with US President Donald Trump.
In the governor’s race, polls indicate a slight lead for Democrat Gina Hinojosa, a 52-year-old attorney who seeks to beat incumbent Greg Abbott, a 68-year-old Republican running for a fourth term. “We have never been so close,” Hinojosa said Sunday. “If we don’t win this time, they will never let us get this close again.”
In the US Senate race, Democrat James Talarico, a 37-year-old former teacher, has energized voters to gain a slight lead over Trump ally and Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton, 63. Hinojosa and Talarico represent a new generation of Democrats who are seeking to attract independents and voters disillusioned by Trump’s unpopular war in the Middle East and skyrocketing prices for gas and everyday goods.
Democrats are also counting on winning back Latino support from Trump, who made gains in the 2024 election but is now facing growing discontent over immigration raids, polling shows.
Republicans are counting on voters who support Trump to turn out the vote, as the president has asked them to. “I want Donald Trump to finish,” Rose Mary Cuevas, 64, said. “I want him to finish up what he said he’s gonna do and I just hope that everything works out for the best and thank Jesus Christ for that.” Both Abbott and Paxton have avoided debates ahead of the polls.
Paxton is seeking to overcome years of controversy, including long-running securities fraud charges that were resolved without an admission of wrongdoing, allegations of infidelity surrounding the collapse of his marriage, and questions about his ties to wealthy donors. In 2023, the Republican-controlled Texas House impeached Paxton over corruption and abuse of power allegations. He was later acquitted by the state Senate.
Paxton also backed Trump in 2020, when the president contested his loss to Joe Biden without offering evidence. As early voters headed to polls, a federal prosecutor in Texas, Aaron Reitz, issued a warning. “Only eligible voters can vote. No barred felons, no aliens and no foreigners,” Reitz said in a video on X. “If you violate federal election law, I will hunt you down and prosecute you.”
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