HOUSTON — We are less than 24 hours away from when polls across Texas open for the March 5 primary.
Voters will be casting ballots in several important primaries that will shape national, state, and local politics.
Super Tuesday is Nikki Haley’s last stand as she campaigns in Texas on Monday afternoon.
However, a survey from the University of Houston released in January shows former President Donald Trump with an overwhelming lead over her in the Lone Star State.
Tuesday is likely to further solidify Trump’s status as the presumptive GOP nominee and good news continues for him as a national CBS News poll just released shows him leading President Joe Biden in the race for the White House.
Meanwhile, polls show the Democratic primary for the U.S. Senate being dominated by Congressman Colin Allred. The next closest challenger, Roland Gutierrez, is a distant second.
“I'm best positioned to both beat Ted Cruz in November and also bring us together as a state,” Allred said.
Allred spoke one-on-one with KHOU 11 and noted that the two of the most pressing issues facing voters for the senate race will likely be immigration and abortion rights.
“I think folks are worried about individual freedoms that are going away. I think they're worried about our democracy and the direction of our country,” he said.
Further down the ballot is a battle within the Texas Republican Party.
Gov. Greg Abbott is hoping he will be successful in endorsing candidates that will oust Republican state representatives who rejected his school voucher program proposal.
Pollsters say what side of the issue candidates are on could determine their election fate.
“Republican primary voters are pretty uniform across the entire state in their tendency to punish an incumbent who voted against school choice. Sixty percent are rewarding incumbents who voted against school choice. That's the same if they're in West Texas, in a rural area or they're in urban Houston,” said Mark Jones, UH Hobby School Research Associate, Rice University professor.
On the Democratic side, Harris County District Attorney Kim Ogg fights for her political life as Sean Teare holds a substantial lead over the incumbent who was admonished by her party, according to recent polling.