From KACU's West Texas Dispatch:
Several of the primary races in Texas failed to produce a clear winner.
With seven candidates on the Republican ballot in the state's 19th congressional district, many expected a runoff.
And after more than 77,000 West Texans cast their ballots, Tom Sell emerged as the leader in the field, with Matt Smith within less than a percentage point of Abraham Enriquez to claim the other spot on that runoff ballot.
Tom Sell had captured 40% of primary votes and knew on election night, while he didn't win outright, he would be on the runoff ballot:
"In fact, I talked to several of the other candidates who said let's try and be an example to the rest of the nation in this competition and so compliments to them," Sell said. "We're gonna continue to do it that way and just continue to get around the district and build these friendships and relationships and listen to the issues and speak and engage in wise and thoughtful ways with them because we wanna talk about the issues and engage with people across the district and listen to them about what are their issues and, and, and needs and wants and fears and hopes and, all that stuff and, and, and so, and I think generally our, our campaign, and I'm talking about all the other candidates as well, it's, it's generally been mostly positive."
Abraham Enriquez shared his enthusiasm for the next phase of the election season with us.
"In West Texas, you know, we keep things about policy, we keep things about values," Enriquez said. "I think that's what makes our elections, more exciting is that they're, they're based on principle, not character assassination or, or, or getting crazy, and that's something that I actually admire about West Texas politics. And, you know, I've had a conversation with, with my opponent, and we're going to keep it that way, we're going to keep about policy, well, we certainly are. We couldn't be polar opposites, I'm running up against someone who has been a part of the political machine for a couple of decades now, as a lobbyist, my opponent understands how to navigate what is the swamp, and I'm definitely different from that.
I'm someone that is a little bit more fresh, a little bit more new. I would say that I am more on the newly America first, MAGA candidate, and I think for voters that makes it a little easier, when it comes to going to the election box and seeing who you're going to stand for I think that makes it easier in the runoff knowing that those are the two campaigns on the ballot."
Fewer than 200 votes separated Enriguez from Matt Smith.
Here's what Matt Smith told KACU:
"If I believed everything I heard, I would have zero trust in the election process. I have people that are telling me that they believe the election is stolen, they believe, you know, there's fraud going on, and my answer to all of it has been, bring me some proof, and I'll look at it.
I have no desire to get caught up in the dramatic, or what you could consider conspiracy theories, if there's not any actual proof. I'm not looking to have it to where, you know, some people would call it like a sore loser. I'm not looking to be in a spot that says, OK, I was, you know, 193 votes down, so I'm gonna cry, it's stolen, it's, you know, fraud, any of that, if there isn't any proof of it. And honestly, the best candidate, I believe, is going to come out and win this, and regardless of who it is, in, in May, come November, we're all going to be in support of them and cheering them along.
So don't cannibalize our party and start being so mean and tearing the other people down that we forget that this is niched in, and we are all very similar whenever it comes to the way that we're looking at things here."
Candidates who are in a runoff have until March 18th to withdraw. The runoff election will be May 26, only those who voted in the Republican primary will be eligible to cast a ballot in the runoff.
We have asked Drew Landry, assistant professor of government at South Plains College, to give us his thoughts on this race. Professor Landry, thank you for joining us on the West Texas Dispatch.
Drew Landry: "Always good to be with you, George, thanks for having me on."
George Levesque: All right, we have got ourselves a runoff. Tell us what your overall view of the race is for the Republican nomination for the 19th congressional district.
DL:"This was a bit on pause for a little while because we were really unsure as to who was gonna come into 2nd place here, but you know, but as, as it's looked, this is going to be between Tom Sell and Abraham Enriquez, both from Lubbock, and, you know, it's, it's interesting as to how this works out with this runoff, and I think it would be wise for them to really seek out an endorsement from Matt Smith to kind of put them over the edge and, and to really get them this full-on nomination. It was a hard-fought campaign. I mean, you know, what really was interesting was how Congressman Arrington just rather abruptly said he wasn't going to run for reelection, and that put everybody in a, in, in a bit of a tizzy.
And so you had these, candidates, you know, try to make a name out of themselves in a very quick order, and, you know, those three, the Tom Sell, Abraham Enriquez, and Matt Smith worked really, really hard, as did the others, but they seem to be really the, the top tier, and it looks like Matt Smith can be the kingmaker, the nominee maker, if you will, in this runoff."
GL: Well, let me ask you this quick question: it was so close between 2nd and 3rd. Do you see any point in requesting a recount for Matt Smith?
DL: "I don't think that'd be a bad idea, he's well within that threshold to do that. The question would be, is a financial decision for, for him to really do that because if he doesn't either tie or win that, you know, to really, you know, to, to come in 2nd, he would have to probably pay for that entire recount according to Texas law.
So I think he might be thinking about that, and I don't think that's a bad idea, but, you know, he's, he's got some decisions to make here in the next, next week or so to really see if, if he really did come out to be the second-place winner. So I think that might be the reason that he hasn't fully conceded yet, but numbers are what they are."
GL: Well, speaking of money, Tom Sell, he outraised his competitors by a really wide margin. How much does money matter in this race?
DL: "Great question, George. It's, it's a really important aspect, but it's not everything, you know, what we often like to think is that the campaign war chest gets you access to voters because of all the things you get to buy with it, whether it be TV ads, radio ads, direct mailers, you know, signs, and the more you more money you have, the more ability you have to advertise for yourself.
But at the same time, you know, you also can't solely rely on money to do it for you. You've got to put the groundwork in. So, it does mean a lot, but at the same time, you can't rest on that laurel that you have so much money. You got to go out there and knock on those doors and go to those festivals and, and really try to convince people to, to vote for you other than just through an ad."
GL: Tom Sell may have the money. Abraham Enriquez seems to have some of the key endorsements, including Governor Abbott. How much are those worth?
DL: "Some, you know, they're nothing to really sneeze at, but, you know, you have to think about what they really meant in this primary, because if they were a big, big deal, you know, he would have came in a lot closer. When you think about how that was, how that really played out, it didn't really seem like voters really cared about that to the tune of whether or not they would have had access to, you know, a, key, committee or having, you know, knowing how, how the bread is made, as what Tom Sell was, was really bringing out. So while endorsements from key people like the governor are important, they're only important to an extent."
GL: I think runoffs can be weird. There's no other way to put it, you know, you get fewer people that are allowed to vote. In fact, only Republicans who voted in the general or in the, the Republican primary can vote in the runoff. How does that affect these kinds of races when they come down to the end?
DL: "A candidate has, has to convince not only his people who voted for him the first time to come out again, but you've got to convince other people who may have supported other candidates to come out and support you.
So you've got to not, so you have to remind your key set of supporters to come out again. And that's a big deal because a lot of voters just may not really be paying attention to the fact that they would have to come out for a 2nd round in late May. So that's a, that's a big deal, you know, that's a really big, big thing there.
That's why I was kind of saying that Matt Smith and, and, and a few of these others may have, may play a key role in deciding who could be the next nominee based on their key set of supporters. And so with that sort of tandem there they could tag team and, and, and help their supporters come out for a particular candidate. And again, the main thing is you have to remind them: 'hey, look, we are in this again, you got to come out again, and I have to get more people out on my side.' And that's where that ground game comes in, that's where that money comes in to advertise for yourself."
GL: Sell had so many more votes than Enriquez did in this first round. Does Enriquez have a legitimate chance?
DL: "So this is wild. I mean, you mentioned about how, how runoffs are just weird earlier. This is a, this is even more weird because when, when we look at some, as to how some of these runoffs have worked in the past, it seems like if you come in first, that's like the kiss of death. It's like that's, that's your ceiling.
So, those who might come in second might have a bit of a, of a chance to kind of get more key sets of supporters. And so, while that it has been wild in the past, it seems right now that, that that may not always be the case.
So you ask me, does Enriquez have a real chance? The answer is yes, but, you know, he's, he's got some sets of controversies he has to get through. He has to convince some people to come onto his side.
You know, there's, you know, 4th, 5th place people who could possibly bring him a coalition of supporters to really go up against Tom Sell, you know, and that's for him and his campaign to really make this out. But you're right, George. I mean, the momentum it seems is with Tom Sell based on the money, based on the key set of support that he got in the primary, and his ability to remind them to come out again is definitely on his side. But you never say never in elections. Anything can happen."
GL: Drew Landry, thank you for sharing your insight with us today.
DL: "Thank you for having me on. Always, always good to be with you, George."
Drew Landry is assistant professor of government at South Plains College in Lubbock.
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