Primarily speaking: What to look for next Tuesday
With a presidential nomination, several local races on the line, Tuesday a Super important political day in Texas
With 14 states including Texas and California holding primaries on Tuesday, there is a lot on the line for national presidential candidates and for candidates vying a long list of local and statewide offices including a U.S. Senate seat. Cartoon by Anna McClellan.
February 28, 2020
March 2, also known as next Tuesday, which is also known as Super Tuesday, is one of the biggest days in the election year. Fourteen of the 50 states, including Texas, are holding their primaries next Tuesday, more than any other primary election day this year.
There are 155 Republican delegates and 228 Democratic delegates from Texas that are to be assigned to the remaining candidates. These delegates will be divided among eight Democrats and two Republicans, and the top candidates from each party will be the Democratic and Republican nominees for president, that you can vote on this fall.
The South Carolina presidential debate on Tuesday was pretty much the last chance for these candidates to get their words in before Super Tuesday, and we heard questions about North Korea, the Middle East, legalizing marijuana, Medicare, and more.
Bernie Sanders was the main target, with almost all candidates taking shots at his views on Medicare for All, socialism, and other issues. Businessman Tom Steyer took the stage as well and despite spending nearly $13 million on television ads in the state was not targeted much by his debate opponents, as they mainly took shots at Sanders, former vice president Joe Biden, and Michael Bloomberg.
Also on Tuesday, the Texas Tribune hosted a Teach me how Texas: Programming the Primaries event for local Austinites to learn about the primary to be held next week. They covered elections, whether they were local, statewide, national.
On Tuesday at the Brewer’s Table, Texas Tribune political reporters Cassi Pollock and Alex Samuels and Austin American-Statesman political reporter Ryan Autullo discussed the candidates, races and topics they’re watching heading into primary season. Photo by Anna McClellan.
As far as local elections go, there are several house seats up for grabs, including that of Kirk Watson, and several district judges are running for election, too.
When it comes to voting for judges, many people don’t know who to vote for, much less, what each judge stands for. Judges usually come from one of two sides, either the prosecution or the defense. When considering who to vote for, think about judicial temperament, how fair a person might be, and if they come down harder or more leniently on certain issues.
The race for district attorney currently has four candidates, and one candidate, Jose Garza, has received endorsements from both Bernie Sanders and Elizabeth Warren. The current district attorney, Margaret Moore, has been attacked for how she handles her assault cases.
The Texas House of Representatives, which has been majority Republican for the better part of the past two decades, has a chance at turning blue with for the first time since 2001 after the election this fall.
As far as the national elections go, the most attention is being given to the presidential election, but there is also the consideration of U.S. senators and representatives. There are many candidates for both, and for more information on who is running in your district, check out vote411.org or the League of Women Voters of Texas Voting Guide.
Some presidential candidates have already been in Austin, as well as other cities in Texas, hosting rallies for their supporters to come out and hear them. Sunday afternoon, Bernie Sanders hosted a rally downtown at Auditorium Shores, the same place Elizabeth Warren hosted one in the fall.
After his victory in Nevada caucus made him the front-runner in the Democratic Party primary contest, Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) spoke before nearly 13,000 people at Vic Mathias Shores on Sunday. Sanders advocated that the government do more to fight for justice and equity for the working class and expressed confidence that his campaign organization will deliver a primary win for him in Texas on March 3. Photo by Max Rhodes.
On the other side of the board, Micheal Bloomberg has been hitting Texas hard, now with 19 field offices, the most of any candidate, and will be visiting the state later this week. The state has 228 delegates to award to the candidates, and based off of recent polls taken by the Texas Tribune, Bernie Sanders and Joe Biden should have no trouble gaining easy ground.
With Texas being one of the most important Super Tuesday states, and with less than a week to the election, candidates will no doubt be making stops around the state trying to convince those who are still undecided that they are the best person to run against Donald Trump later this year.
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Update: Since this story was published, three candidates have dropped out of the race for the Democratic nomination; Indiana Mayor Pete Buttigieg (dropped out on 3/1/20), Senator Amy Klobuchar (dropped out on 3/2/20) and businessman Tom Steyer (dropped out 2/29/20).
