Happy Election Day, Texas! Every election cycle inevitably brings a round of endorsements from the major newspapers across the state, and examining their breakdown can help put the races into better perspective. As Texans head to the polls today (or fail to, if you consider these poor early voting numbers), let’s take a look at how some of the biggest dailies in Texas endorsed (or chose not to endorse) the 2014 candidates.
Dallas Morning News
- Governor: Greg Abbott (R)
- Lieutenant governor: Leticia Van de Putte (D)
- Attorney general: Sam Houston (D)
- Comptroller: Mike Collier (D)
- Land commissioner: George P. Bush (R)
- Agriculture commissioner: Sid Miller (R)
- Railroad commissioner: Ryan Sitton (R)
Houston Chronicle
- Governor: Wendy Davis (D)
- Lieutenant governor: Leticia Van de Putte (D)
- Attorney general: Sam Houston (D)
- Comptroller: Mike Collier (D)
- Land commissioner: George P. Bush (R)
- Agriculture commissioner: Sid Miller (R)
- Railroad commissioner: Ryan Sitton (R)
Fort Worth Star-Telegram
- Governor: Greg Abbott (R)
- Lieutenant governor: Leticia Van de Putte (D)
- Attorney general: Sam Houston (D)
- Comptroller: Mike Collier (D)
- Land commissioner: George P. Bush (R)
- Agriculture commissioner: None.
- Railroad commissioner: None.
San Antonio Express-News
- Governor: Wendy Davis (D)
- Lieutenant governor: Leticia Van de Putte (D)
- Attorney general: Sam Houston (D)
- Comptroller: Mike Collier (D)
- Land commissioner: George P. Bush (R)
- Agriculture commissioner: None. “The candidates for Texas agriculture commissioner are so poor they don’t merit an endorsement. A recommendation would simply cast a veil over the shortcomings of Republican Sid Miller and Democrat Jim Hogan.”
- Railroad commissioner: Steve Brown (D)
Austin American-Statesman
- Governor: Wendy Davis (D)
- Lieutenant governor: Leticia Van de Putte (D)
- Attorney general: Sam Houston (D)
- Comptroller: Mike Collier (D)
- Land commissioner: George P. Bush (R)
- Agriculture commissioner: None. “We found ourselves unable to commit to either former Republican state Rep. Sid Miller of Stephenville or Democratic challenger Jim Hogan for agriculture commissioner.”
- Railroad commissioner: Ryan Sitton (R)
El Paso Times
- Governor: Wendy Davis (D)
- Lieutenant governor: Leticia Van de Putte (D)
- Attorney general: None.
- Comptroller: None.
- Land commissioner: George P. Bush (R)
- Agriculture commissioner: None.
- Railroad commissioner: None.
Corpus Christi Caller-Times
- Governor: Wendy Davis (D)
- Lieutenant governor: Leticia Van de Putte (D)
- Attorney general: Sam Houston (D)
- Comptroller: Mike Collier (D)
- Land commissioner: George P. Bush (R)
- Agriculture commissioner: Sid Miller (R)
- Railroad commissioner: Steve Brown (D)
Lubbock Avalanche-Journal
- Governor: Greg Abbott (R)
- Lieutenant governor: Dan Patrick (R)
- Attorney general: Sam Houston (D)
- Comptroller: Glenn Hegar (R)
- Land commissioner: George P. Bush (R)
- Agriculture commissioner: Sid Miller (R)
- Railroad commissioner: Ryan Sitton (R)
And Cosmopolitan (because why not?)
- Governor:Wendy Davis (D) “An 11-hour filibuster. A bold stand for women in a red state. Those pink tennis shoes. Wendy Davis is an American icon, and she’s the candidate we endorse in the race for governor of Texas.”
Now let’s break it down by total newspaper endorsements, which can serve as a fairly good indicator of who’s going to emerge victorious in each race.
Governor
- Greg Abbott (R): 9
- Wendy Davis (D): 5
Best quote: “It’s hard to understand how two candidates with inspiring personal stories have managed to run such an uninspiring race.” – El Paso Times
Lieutenant governor
- Dan Patrick (R): 1
- Leticia Van de Putte (D): 11
Best quote: “It’s often hard to know whether Patrick, 64, says what he means and means what he says. He’s a great talker, even a fast talker. Many Democrats find him distasteful, but even some prominent Republicans describe him as untrustworthy.” – Dallas Morning News
Attorney general
- Sam Houston (D): 11
- Ken Paxton (R): 0
Best quote: “State Sen. Ken Paxton, R-McKinney, puts forth the persona of a Sunday school teacher but has a history of lawbreaking and questionable business practices that should disqualify him in the minds of Texans.” – Houston Chronicle
Comptroller
- Mike Collier (D): 9
- Glenn Hegar (R): 1
Best quote: “There are few jobs in Austin for which political inexperience might be considered an asset. State comptroller is one of them, and the political outsider who deserves the position is Democrat Mike Collier.” – Forth Worth Star-Telegram
Land commissioner
- John Cook (D): 0
- George P. Bush (R): 11
Best quote: “Bush is a conservative. And of this we have no doubt. But we see in him the potential to broaden the party’s tent and to mute some of its more hurtful rhetoric.” – San Antonio Express-News
Agriculture commissioner
- Jim Hogan (D): 0
- Sid Miller (R): 7
Best quote: “The candidate we met is thoughtful, committed and authoritative on the issues — unlike the cartoon image cultivated on the website, which he said he needs to update.” – Corpus Christi Caller-Times
Railroad commissioner
- Steve Brown (D): 2
- Ryan Sitton (R): 5
Best quote: “Although we are concerned about his close ties to the industry he seeks to regulate, we believe his technical expertise will be useful on the board at a time of great change in the industry.” – Houston Chronicle