Dem contenders prod backers to do the 'Texas two-step'
VOTE, VOTE AGAIN | Both warn that winner by day could lose at night
SAN ANTONIO -- Presidential hopefuls Sen. Barack Obama and Sen. Hillary Clinton are trying to teach their supporters here to dance the "Texas two-step," reminding them to vote twice -- the state has an unusual election system -- and stick with the candidate who brought them to the dance.
Texas is the biggest prize Tuesday with 168 elected delegates. Obama leads in the polls here.
(AP file)
But getting supporters to participate in early voting -- which ended Friday -- or to the polls Tuesday is only half the battle. A third of the delegates will be chosen in caucuses after the polls close.
Only voters who have already cast a ballot in early voting or during the day Tuesday are eligible.
Obama has dominated the caucus states with a shrewd army of well-trained organizers, and he hopes to do the same here.
A sign in Obama's Texas headquarters in Austin says "do the Texas two-step," and the campaign has boiled the message down to "first you vote, than you caucus." Stumping across Texas, Obama has been reminding people they can vote for him twice.
That's exactly what worries former San Antonio Mayor Henry Cisneros -- housing and urban development secretary under President Bill Clinton and one of Hillary Clinton's main backers here. He told 200 precinct captains Saturday morning that Clinton could win the popular vote during the day but then lose the delegates to Obama Tuesday night if they aren't prepared.
"You could win Election Day ... and you end up losing delegates," Cisneros said. "That would be exceedingly unfair, especially given that I believe Texas is going for Hillary Clinton on Election Day."
Clinton urges voters in person and in television and radio commercials to vote twice on Election Day. Commercials on Spanish language radio stations exhort listeners to vote dos veces or two times, for Hillary Clinton ("Cleen-TOEN'")
"We've got to do the Texas two-step," Clinton, her voice hoarse and cracking, told the precinct captains in a high school auditorium.
Clinton urged her backers to seize control of the caucuses. Her backers passed out fliers urging precinct captains to request the "envelope" full of materials at the caucus that will allow them to serve as temporary chair of the caucus.
"If there is no envelope, take out your own materials and announce the start of the convention," the instructions say. "Possession of the envelope allows you to serve as temporary chair and control the start of the precinct convention."