- ABC News/Washington Post (PDF): Clinton 47-Obama 48
- Rasmussen: Clinton 47-Obama 44
- Constituent Dynamics: Clinton 46-Obama 45
That’s a hell of a tightened race, with 11 days to go until the primary, and early voting already having started. Remember, Texas was supposed to be a “firewall” for Clinton, and she had strong leads until Obama started winning all those primaries.
Speaking of early voting, turnout on the first day was through the freaking roof:
Turnout on the first day of early voting was up all across Texas, according to initial numbers from the Secretary of State’s office. But Houston and Dallas were off the charts—the numbers show a 10-fold increase over 2004. In Harris County four years ago, only 728 people showed up for the Democratic primary on the first day of early voting. Yesterday it was 9,243.
In Dallas, the first-day turnout jumped from 913 in 2004 to 8,615 yesterday. That would seem good news for Obama. Other urban counties such as Travis (Austin) and Bexar (San Antonio) showed six-fold increases. In El Paso, it tripled.
Turnout was up too in the Rio Grande Valley, an expected Clinton stronghold, but the increase wasn’t as dramatic. In Hidalgo County, the number of voters rose from 3,858 (2004) to 5,793 (2008).
Beyond the fact that my guy is winning, and that he may very well win my state, I have to say that I am pleased that Democratic activity is so strong in Texas. The Lone Star State used to be a bastion of Democratic goodness (albeit different than Massachusetts Democratic goodness), but influence has waned and the populace has grown increasingly conservative.
So many Democrats had written Texas off, but DNC Chairman Howard Dean’s Fifty State Strategy—challenging in every state, in every district—is paying dividends.
And even beyond partisan activity, I’m heartened to see voter turnout at such levels.
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