2010: The Old Carpetbagger Ploy

Holly Turner, running for the Texas House in Austin’s HD-47, got welcomed into the race by a fellow Republican’s press release with this headline: “Congratulations Candidate Turner: tomorrow you are eligible to vote in HD 47.” The sender, Paul Workman, has lived in Travis County for 25 years. Turner just moved to Austin from Fort Worth (her husband Chris ran for city council and lost in 2007, after Wendy Davis left that post to run for state Senate), and rented an apartment in the district.

The winner of the GOP primary will face Rep. Valinda Bolton, D-Austin, in the general election. That’s a target race for the Republicans who believe, in spite of Bolton’s successful defense last year, that she's a Democrat representing a Republican district. She won election in 2006 with 50.2 percent; in 2008 with 51.2 percent.