Barbara Ann has a statewide presence, a 1.55 million voter base, maintains connections from 650 campaign trips and helping other Democrats and has a statewide organization. Over 2.87 million people turned out to vote in the 2008 Democratic Primary, setting a new record overall and tripling the Democratic Primary turnout in 1996, 2000 and 2004. 3.5 million Democrats voted in the 2008 General.

The Changing Tide

• Jan. 15, 10 CNN: "The poll indicates that 2010 is shaping up to be a bad year for incumbents regardless of party.  Just a third of all Americans say they would prefer to vote for an incumbent this year than a challenger, with 46 percent saying they would rather vote for the challenger and one in five adding that it makes no difference." (CNN/Opinion Research Corporation)

• Sept. 5, 09 Houston Chronicle: “… the Lone Star State is emerging Democratic territory. ‘It represents a tremendous growth opportunity for the Democratic Party,’ Democratic National Chairman Tim Kaine said. ‘I am more convinced than ever that Texas is trending our way and will continue to do so.’”

• Sept. 6, 09 Dallas Morning News: "For the last decade, the Republican Party in Texas has been shrinking," said Senator Kay Bailey Hutchison. "We're losing elections we used to win easily.”

• Aug. 09 Gallup Poll published in the Austin American Statesman re-affirms trend: fewer and fewer Texans (40%) self identify as Republicans. More Texans self identify as Democrat than Republican.

• August 15, 09 New York Times: "The [Texas Republican] party lost all the state's major metropolitan counties in the presidential election last year, an ill omen for the future, and its majority in the Texas House has shrunk to a single seat."

• Recent Republican polling in TX: Only 32% of voters in Texas said that Republican elected officials performed their job well enough to deserve reelection for their offices. In contrast, more than half (54%) responded that “it’s time to give Democrats the chance to do better.”

December 4, 08 Dallas Morning News: “A shocking survey of registered Texas voters taken after the November election shows that the party that has dominated Lone Star politics for a generation that is also in very serious trouble. The statewide poll of 636 active voters by Hill Research Consultants, a Houston-based Republican polling firm, is a five-alarm wake-up call to the GOP. Among its findings: 'Half the voters polled believe the state is on the wrong track; only 37 percent believe Texas is headed in the right direction.'

“When voters were asked which party ‘champions the needs of homeowners, small businesses and average taxpayers’ – classic GOP constituencies – Democrats score an astonishing 13 points higher.”

“Perhaps most devastating to the GOP's future, only 14 percent of those polled agreed it was ‘open and welcoming’ – a whopping 33 points lower than the Democrats' rating.”

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