Texas Lobbyist News
Mike Hailey at Capitol Inside is reporting that Texas Democrats may be pulling for Mit Romney to win the Republican nomination, a position exactly the reverse of national Democrat trends, because of the effect his nomination might have on local voter turnout for the Texas House of Representatives election this Fall.
The idea is that Romney, who may be the most moderate Republican nominee in recent history, will not inspire Texas Republicans to come out for the vote, particularly if they know that the Republican candidate will surely win in the Lone Star state. Texas Democrats have no hope of Obama carrying Texas in the fall, but they do sense a low voter turnout might help them in the State elections.
Mike Hailey notes that a good percentage of the voters show up if they are passionate about an election and then vote a straight ticket. That’s true for both sides of the aisle. Nothing could make Texas Democrats happier than a large chunk of Republican voters staying home because they don’t like the idea of casting a vote for Mit Romney. For many Texas Republicans, Romney is worse than McCain because he’s from the Northeast and doesn’t have a compelling war story.