In Texas, Democratic Candidates Might Benefit From Retail Politics Ahead Of Super Tuesday

This week in Texas politics with The Texas Tribune.

By Rhonda FanningFebruary 28, 2020 1:48 pm, , ,

It’s time for the week that was in Texas politics with Alex Samuels, political reporter for The Texas Tribune.

On Super Tuesday next week, Democratic presidential candidates will be vying for 228 delegates from Texas. Samuels says 149 of those delegates will be awarded to candidates based on how well they did in each of the 31 Texas Senate districts. The rest of the delegates will be awarded based on statewide results. Samuels says this means candidates have an incentive to reach out to voters across the state, not just in the big cities.

It’s not common for Democrats to spend as much time and money in Texas during a primary, at least not in recent years. Samuels says what’s changed is the range of Democratic candidates running.

Texas is also preparing for the possible spread of the coronavirus. At a press conference Thursday, Gov. Greg Abbot said that health officials have told him that the risk of an outbreak in Texas is low, but that the state is still preparing in case that changes.

“What he told the [Austin American-] Statesman is that they’re preparing for different scenarios, ranging from the status go to an extreme pandemic,” Samuels says.

 

Written by Caroline Covington.