Noriega Closing Gap in Texas Senate Race
Political Desk
October 29, 2008
Debate Performances, Cornyn Record Spurring Noriega Momentum.
Houston, TX – A new poll of the Texas Senate race between incumbent Senator and Bush rubber-stamp John Cornyn and Rep. Rick Noriega shows the race tightening to a six point margin. Further, these new numbers don't take into account the outcome of last night's debate – a clear Noriega win. Increasingly, Texas families are responding to Rick Noriega's vision to fight on behalf of Texas families and rejecting John Cornyn's voting record and business as usual in Washington.
The poll released today, conducted by Research 2000, shows Senator John Cornyn clinging to a 50-44% lead. This follows on the heels of a recent Rasmussen survey showing Noriega just seven points behind Cornyn – closing the gap from a 17 point margin in June.
"Texas families know they can't afford another six years of John Cornyn," said Martine Apodaca, spokesman for Rick Noriega. "There's a reason John Cornyn tried to hide from his record in last night's debate – business as usual in Washington hasn't worked over the past six years and Texas families know it. They want a Senator who is going to stand up and fight for them."
Noriega's debate performances last evening will only serve to further his recent momentum. One of the media panelists conducting last night's debate, Paul Burka of Texas Monthly, called Rick Noriega's debate performance "impressive," stating that "Noriega has come a very long way in a short time." Meanwhile, John Cornyn continued his recent strategy of trying to run away from his rubber stamp voting record over the past six years. Cornyn called the Bush Administration "tone deaf" and "out of touch" last week – despite voting with President Bush 95% of the time.
Professor Richard Murray, Professor of Public Policy in the University of Houston Department of Political Science and Director of Surveying for the UH Center for Public Policy, speculated that Cornyn's voting record could lead to a Noriega victory: "My guess, given his risky bailout vote and a lackluster ad effort Senator Cornyn is making, is that he simply believes there is no way a lesser known Democratic Hispanic challenger can win in a "red" state like Texas. Normally he would be right, but 2008 is turning out to be anything but a normal year."
Rick Noriega's momentum is also demonstrated by the spate of high-profile endorsers he has recently hosted – such as President Bill Clinton, Senator Hillary Clinton, and Governor Bill Richardson. As President Bill Clinton noted while endorsing Noriega earlier this week, "He's been outspent, but I learned a lot in this election year," said Clinton. "You can be outspent and still win if you want it bad enough, and if people believe in you bad enough and if word of mouth is strong enough."
Houston, TX – A new poll of the Texas Senate race between incumbent Senator and Bush rubber-stamp John Cornyn and Rep. Rick Noriega shows the race tightening to a six point margin. Further, these new numbers don't take into account the outcome of last night's debate – a clear Noriega win. Increasingly, Texas families are responding to Rick Noriega's vision to fight on behalf of Texas families and rejecting John Cornyn's voting record and business as usual in Washington.
The poll released today, conducted by Research 2000, shows Senator John Cornyn clinging to a 50-44% lead. This follows on the heels of a recent Rasmussen survey showing Noriega just seven points behind Cornyn – closing the gap from a 17 point margin in June.
"Texas families know they can't afford another six years of John Cornyn," said Martine Apodaca, spokesman for Rick Noriega. "There's a reason John Cornyn tried to hide from his record in last night's debate – business as usual in Washington hasn't worked over the past six years and Texas families know it. They want a Senator who is going to stand up and fight for them."
Noriega's debate performances last evening will only serve to further his recent momentum. One of the media panelists conducting last night's debate, Paul Burka of Texas Monthly, called Rick Noriega's debate performance "impressive," stating that "Noriega has come a very long way in a short time." Meanwhile, John Cornyn continued his recent strategy of trying to run away from his rubber stamp voting record over the past six years. Cornyn called the Bush Administration "tone deaf" and "out of touch" last week – despite voting with President Bush 95% of the time.
Professor Richard Murray, Professor of Public Policy in the University of Houston Department of Political Science and Director of Surveying for the UH Center for Public Policy, speculated that Cornyn's voting record could lead to a Noriega victory: "My guess, given his risky bailout vote and a lackluster ad effort Senator Cornyn is making, is that he simply believes there is no way a lesser known Democratic Hispanic challenger can win in a "red" state like Texas. Normally he would be right, but 2008 is turning out to be anything but a normal year."
Rick Noriega's momentum is also demonstrated by the spate of high-profile endorsers he has recently hosted – such as President Bill Clinton, Senator Hillary Clinton, and Governor Bill Richardson. As President Bill Clinton noted while endorsing Noriega earlier this week, "He's been outspent, but I learned a lot in this election year," said Clinton. "You can be outspent and still win if you want it bad enough, and if people believe in you bad enough and if word of mouth is strong enough."