This Week in Texas Politics: Last day for early voting, Russia invades Ukraine

AUSTIN, Texas - This Week in Texas Politics was like the recent weather pattern, one extreme to another. It began with the last push in Early Voting, and ended with a Texas connection to the Russian invasion of Ukraine.

KOSKI: "We're back in the LBJ Penthouse talking about This Week in Texas Politics, and it has been again another busy week, especially with early voting wrapping up. Let's begin with our headlines, and we'll start first with Scott Braddock with The Quorum Report. Scott, your headline?"

BRADDOCK: "Rudy, it's do-or-die time in these Texas primaries."

KOSKI: "Political consultant Sonia Van Meter- Sonia, what's your headline?"

VAN METER: "From grave concerns to old candidates running new races, everything old is new again."

KOSKI: "Steven Dial with FOX 4, your headline?"

DIAL: "A lot of red meat heading into Election Day."

KOSKI: "And Eleanor Dearman with the Fort Worth Star-Telegram. Eleanor, what's your headline?" 

DEARMAN: "Election Day is right around the corner."

EARLY VOTING

KOSKI: "And here we are with Early Voting wrapping up. Eleanor, we'll start with you. Are you surprised by the low turnout?"

DEARMAN: "Right now in the Republican side we're seeing in about 4.5 percent turnout statewide through Thursday and about 2.75 percent turnout for the same figure period in the Democratic primary."

KOSKI: "Scott, is it the bad weather or just lack of interest in your opinion?"

BRADDOCK: "It's lack of interest. And it's also the bad weather, particularly in Dallas-Fort Worth, where you had folks who were iced in, I think part of Wednesday and Thursday. And so you had folks who were hoping to volunteer on campaigns, get out and do some block walking and talk to voters, and they couldn't even do that for a part of this week, right?"

DIAL: "I wonder if, especially here in North Texas, if the inclement weather is going to actually impact some of these challengers who may have started getting some motion going, some momentum going, and that might have stifled it."

KOSKI: "Sonia, do you agree it's not a test of the new Election laws?"

VAN METER: "I think it's absolutely going to be a test of new rules, but I think we can't overlook the reasons for the disinterest. You know, on the side of the Democrats, there's a lot of demoralizing, there's a feeling of demoralized, being demoralized because of the thrashing they took in 2020 down ballot. Republicans, on the other hand, seem to be losing faith in the electoral system entirely."

RUNOFF POSSIBILITY

KOSKI: "High probability of some runoffs, especially in the GOP Attorney General's race. Scott, there was a debate. Did the debate change anything?"

BRADDOCK: "Probably not. What it did do was highlight the fact that this is a race for second place."

VAN METER: "This is the death knell for the Bush dynasty, and that is, I think, the bigger story that no one's really talking about. If Jeb Bush's presidential race was the sort of the death knell for George P. it is the final nail in the coffin."

DEARMAN: "Like Scott said, it seems like these candidates are fighting for a place in the runoffs, and I think that's something that voters across the state, including in North Texas, are going to be watching out for."

KOSKI: "Steven, is Congressman Louie Gohmert really just more of a spoiler, (in the AG Race) and not necessarily going to get in the runoff?"

DIAL: "I don't think he's going to be in the runoff. I think he's going to be a spoiler. The real question is, who is he going to spoil it for?" 

ABBOTT STATEMENTS

KOSKI: "Governor Greg Abbott made headlines this week on two hot topic issues, one being declaring that some child sex change operations, procedures, are child abuse. And then also, he weighed in on the Austin police officers who were indicted following the social justice protests that happened here. Scott, has he bitten off too much?" 

BRADDOCK: "On the same day that the governor was, you know, putting out some of these statements you're talking about, you had the former head of the Electric Reliability of Council of Texas in Houston testifying that it was Governor Abbott who ordered ERCOT to keep prices as high as possible during the deadly winter freeze. And that's one of those things and in politics is- watch my thumb."

VAN METER: "Scott took the words right out of my mouth. This is classic misdirection. He knew exactly what story was going to break, and he needed something to remind his voters while they're walking to the polling precinct, as we speak, that he is still the guy in charge, and he is still the most conservative person in this race."

UKRAINE

KOSKI: "Russia invaded Ukraine. There are a lot of Texans with Ukrainian ties. There are also a lot of calls in cutting off Russian oil and ramping up Texas oil. Are you surprised, Steven, that Texas oil and gas has gotten involved in this conflict?"

DIAL: "Not surprised, in that it also goes to the base."

DEARMAN: "I would expect to see more of those kind of comments from Governor Abbott and other officials as we kind of watch to see how this attack in the Ukraine impacts oil and gas prices."

LAST WORD

KOSKI: "All right, let's wrap up the week with our one word, Steven. We'll start with you. Your word for the week?"

DIAL: "Runoffs."

KOSKI: "Sonia, your word for the week?"

VAN METER: "Invasion." 

KOSKI: "Eleanore, your word for the week?" 

DEARMAN: "Elections." 

KOSKI: "And Scott Braddock, your word for the week?" 

BRADDOCK: "Exhaustion."

KOSKI: "And with that, we'll wrap up another week in Texas Politics." 

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