In Fort Bend County, Democrats Work To Bring New, Diverse Voters To The Polls

This week in Texas politics with the Texas Tribune

By Laura RiceMay 18, 2018 1:32 pm, , ,

Time for the week that was in Texas politics with Corrie MacLaggan, managing editor of the Texas Tribune.

Friday is the last day of early voting for Texas’ primary runoff election. As is usually the case with runoffs, turnout has been low. But in the 22nd Congressional district, Democrats are working to boost turnout in one of the nation’s most ethnically diverse areas, Fort Bend County.

“You have a white population, a black population, an Asian Population and a Hispanic population,” MacLaggan says. “It’s really unique in the country to have this kind of split.”

The district is currently represented by Republican Pete Olson. Democrats think they have a chance to flip the district by encouraging those who don’t usually vote to do so. Their methods include communicating with voters in their native languages.

The race for Texas House Speaker is heating up, as more candidates join the contest. Four candidates have announced plans to run, with about a dozen more eyeing a race. The Tribune’s Ross Ramsey runs down the contenders.

Arlington is out of the running for Amazon’s much-hyped HQ2 facility. The city had offered the company $921 million in incentives. The Dallas and Austin areas are still in the running.

Listen to the full interview in the audio player above.