Democrats Rally in San Antonio in Early Voting's Final Days, Calling Bexar County a Key Battleground

Texas Democrats gathered Wednesday at the Bexar County Democratic Party headquarters for an informal event to energize volunteers as early voting enters its final days, according to San Antonio Current reporting read in full this cycle. State Sen. Sarah Eckhardt, D-Austin, who is running for Texas comptroller, organized the last-minute effort and told the Current she picked San Antonio late in the cycle because she believes local volunteers have done a tremendous job getting people to the polls, and because enthusiasm tends to drop off in early voting's second week.

The gathering brought together agriculture commissioner hopeful Clayton Tucker, state Sens. José Menéndez and Roland Gutierrez, former San Antonio mayor Ron Nirenberg, congressional candidate Kristin Hook and Texas House candidate Kristian Carranza. Bexar Democrats campaign director Bert Santibañez said the party has knocked on 120,000 doors this cycle, spoken with 28,000 people and made more than 80,000 calls, has raised $400,000, and is on track to reach 3 million online impressions. He also said early voting in San Antonio this cycle has already surpassed total early-voting turnout for the 2022 midterms.

Eckhardt argued, as quoted in the reporting, that three decades of one-party rule in Texas has bred inefficiency, and she urged residents to press friends and family to vote before early voting ends Friday, Oct. 30. For the first time in modern history, according to the Texas Tribune as cited in the reporting, a Democrat is running in every state and federal race on the Texas ballot this cycle. Election Day is Tuesday, Nov. 3.