President Donald J. Trump returned to Texas on Tuesday, holding rallies in Corpus Christi and Lubbock. In addition to the President, the rallies also featured several prominent Texas political figures who stressed the importance of Republicans turning out to vote. The rallies come as early voting turnout shows the Republican base lagging behind Democrats.
In Corpus Christi, Lieutenant Governor Dan Patrick remarked that “almost two million Republicans” had not yet voted and encouraged Republicans to vote early.
“Look what happened in Harris County an election ago. Remember, on the last day, they suddenly ran out of ballots. So don’t wait until election day. It’s time to vote between now and Friday. This election will be one of the closest elections we’ve ever had,” Patrick said.
He also urged Republican voters not to be complacent or assume that Republican victory was guaranteed, noting that “we’re at risk” and that “this election could come down to less than 200,000 votes out of 10 million.”
State Comptroller Don Huffines, speaking in Lubbock, painted a dire picture of initial voter turnout and the consequences for Republicans if they fail to vote.
“The Republican Party of Texas is the foundation for the Republican Party of the country. And when the foundation breaks, it’s all going to fall apart. We’re not doing good right now in the early vote. We’re getting beat by the leftists. We’re getting beat bad. You need to know that. You need to be scared. You need to be concerned because it’s a fact. We have got to get everybody you know out to the polls,” he told the audience.
Texas House Speaker Dustin Burrows, speaking to a hometown crowd in Lubbock, also echoed calls for Republicans to vote. He warned that if West Texans failed to vote, Texas would be under the control of Austin liberals.
“There are 45,000 Republicans in Lubbock County who have not voted yet. I am here to remind you: if Lubbock does not vote, if Amarillo does not vote, if all of the other great cities and counties do not vote, you know what happens? Travis County gets to decide what our state is all about,” said Burrows.
“And ladies and gentlemen, have you noticed the entire top of the Democrat ticket, from U.S. Senate to governor to comptroller? You name them; they’re all from the same place. They’re all from Austin, Texas. And look, y’all know this. You understand this? Austin is not just a little bit blue; it is the craziest, most blue progressive place there is.”
President Trump also stressed the importance of Republican turnout at both rallies. In Corpus Christi, Trump encouraged his supporters to “pretend I’m on the ballot” and “vote like you did in the Presidentials.” Trump, who won 56.14% of the vote in Texas in 2024, observed, “for whatever reason, we get a lot more votes when I’m on the ballot.”
According to a report by Republican data consultant Derek Ryan, voters with a Democratic Primary voting history outnumbered those with a Republican Primary voting history by nearly 100,000 after early voting on Monday, with more than 5.1 million votes already cast. More than 1.2 million voters have voted only in general elections, and an additional 311,000 have no prior voting history.
