Tuesday, November 4, 2008

Noriega and Cornyn- Texas Senate Race

Cornyn, Noriega await results
By KELLEY SHANNON
AP Political Writer
Austin American Statesman
November 4, 2008, 9:06 p.m. Central Time

AUSTIN — Republican U.S. Sen. John Cornyn, a heavy favorite and by far the bigger spender in his race, led Democratic long-shot candidate Rick Noriega as election returns streamed in Tuesday night.

Cornyn had 53 percent of the vote over Noriega's 45 percent with 25 percent of precincts reporting. Libertarian Yvonne Schick was a distant third.

All year Noriega, a Houston state legislator and Army National Guard officer who served in Afghanistan, blasted Cornyn's record, accusing him of saying one thing in Texas and doing another in Congress. Noriega looked to pick up support from voters who were fed up with the nation's financial mess and seeking change.

Cornyn, a first-term senator who often sided with President Bush's administration, attempted to cast himself as a commonsense Texan and an outsider to Washington who wasn't satisfied with the direction of the federal government...

Noriega got big-name help in Texas during the final weeks of the race from Bill and Hillary Clinton, who attended campaign rallies with him.

But Cornyn always had the upper hand when it came to money and consistently polled ahead of Noriega. Beginning in September and until Election Day, Cornyn blanketed the television airwaves with ads using the millions of dollars he'd amassed for the race...more

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