Today's Elections .. Races to Watch

Races to Watch:Texas Senate, Georgia Taxes has the story on today's political races worth watching.

Associated Press

Former Texas Solicitor General Ted Cruz is surrounded by supporters and media at a voting precinct Tuesday.

"Today is election day in both Texas and Georgia with the fate of a transit tax and several competitive primaries being decided. Here’s a rundown of  the day’s top contests:

Texas: Cruz vs. Dewhurst for Senate

The voters in the Lone-Star state will determine who will be the Republican nominee for the open Senate seat to replace the retiring Sen. Kay Bailey Hutchison. It’s a runoff following a May vote that had nine Republican contenders.

Lt. Gov. David Dewhurst has the support of most of the GOP establishment, including several leading business groups, a number of Republican state senators, and current Texas Gov. Rick Perry. But Ted Cruz, a former state solicitor general, is the insurgent conservative candidate with the backing of tea-party groups and several top conservative politicians such as Sens. Rand Paul of Kentucky and Mike Lee of Utah and Sarah Palin, the former Alaska governor.

Just weeks ago, Mr. Dewhurst appeared to have a comfortable lead. But polls now suggest momentum has shifted to Mr. Cruz. A June WSJ profile of Mr. Cruz noted that his promise has captured the imagination of conservative leaders. National Review magazine has called him the “next great conservative hope.”

Georgia: Traffic and Taxes

Is more money the right way to improve the terrible traffic in Atlanta? That’s what voters in Georgia will decide on Tuesday. They’ll give their verdict on whether to add a one-percentage-point increase in local sales taxes to pay for billions of new highway projects and other transportation upgrades.

Republican Gov. Nathan Deal and business leaders support the tax increase, saying it will improve the state’s economy and relieve congestion. Over 10 years, the tax would pay for an estimated $7.2 billion in rail, road and bus projects in the Atlanta region. But some tea-party groups and conservatives argue that increasing taxes in a weak economy is not a wise move, and other critics, including the Sierra Club,  say the project doesn’t offer a strong long-term solution to transportation problems. The Journal recently took a close look at the issues."

Summing Up

In Texas, my hope is for a Cruz victory.

In Georgia, my hope is for a no new taxes victory.

It's time to send the pols some clear messages.

In any event, we'll know more about all this in a few hours.

Thanks. Bob.