Armando Walle is walking a lot these days, shaking hands, taking numbers and logging mile after mile on foot.

“I bought my boots, an inexpensive pair, and they’re pretty worn out already,” Walle said.

So is his bank account.  Because this candidate for the Texas Legislature Dist. 140 is spending a small fortune to sway an electorate energized like never before.

“What we’re seeing now is just a heightened sense of urgency with the presidential campaigns here in Texas,” Walle said.

Campaigns that are fueling a frenzy of early voters, who incumbent candidate Kevin Bailey is working overtime to meet.

“We often go to primary voters’ doors. Now we have to go to all voters’ doors, so it’s a much bigger pool,” Bailey said.

Of course, running for any state office costs money.  But in a district where the median family income is just $10,000, both of these candidates together, are poised to spend at least 35 times that amount.

“We’ve had to bring in more volunteers and paid people. We’ve had to expand our phone bank, our mailings,” Bailey said.

It’s a sign of the times, etched in paper and cardboard, which could spell victory down the road.