Down in Dallas . . .
The Republican Party has scrapped plans for a costly last-minute TV blitz on behalf of congressional nominee Bill Flores.
Democrats said the move signals that Republicans are giving up hope of unseating Rep. Chet Edwards. But Flores disagreed, saying that it means he’s in such good shape, the national party can devote its resources elsewhere.
The Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee said today that the National Republican Congressional Committee canceled all of the advertising time it had reserved with stations in the Dallas, Waco and Bryan media markets.
The DCCC shouldn’t laugh too loudly. From all of five days ago: “Democrats are only spending $42,000 on behalf of Rep. Chet Edwards (D-Texas), who trails businessman Bill Flores (R) in most polling.”
And way back on October 7:
Endangered U.S. Rep. Chet Edwards, D-Waco, took the unusual step of releasing internal polling Thursday that shows him running 4 percentage points behind Republican challenger Bill Flores, a significant improvement from another internal poll three weeks ago that had him trailing by 10 points.
The 20-year congressional veteran, a powerful chairman of a House appropriations subcommittee, described himself as “the underdog” against political newcomer Flores, who recently released a poll that had him with a 19-point lead over Edwards.
The Democrat’s internal poll shows Flores leading 46 percent to 42 percent, with 1 percent favoring Libertarian Richard Kelly, according to the survey of 400 likely voters conducted Monday and Tuesday by Bennett, Petts & Normington. It has a margin of error of 4.9 percentage points.
A ten-term incumbent releases an internal putting himself at 42 percent and touts it as good news, while the top-of-the-ticket race that’s been touted as competitive remains a solid GOP lead. And we’re to believe that of all places for a big Democratic comeback, it’s occurring in an R+28 district? Really?
I’m told that NRCC polling shows a consistent, solid lead for Flores.
“Someone has to get the DCCC Dramamine, because they’re spinning way too much,” quips a GOP operative.
