AUSTIN — If Texas Attorney General Greg Abbott and Fort Worth state Sen. Wendy Davis aren’t household names by now, come the November general election, they should be.

With Tuesday’s primaries behind them, Abbott is poised to represent the Republican Party and Davis the Democratic Party.

Come November, Texans will choose their governor in the first election without an incumbent since Gov. Bill Clements chose not to run in 1990, paving the way for Gov. Ann Richards.

Davis is campaigning with detailed measures for proposals to move the state up the ranks in education.

Davis reported having $11 million cash on hand. Abbott has reported $30 million cash on hand. The high-dollar race will test Democrats’ meddle in Texas. Davis and a network of supporters will try to make Texas a politically contested state through Battleground Texas, a political action group that includes people who have...

Chris Tomlinson with The Associated Press has a handy list of five things to watch for in today’s primary elections.
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-HOW MANY REPUBLICAN RACES WILL GO TO A RUNOFF?
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-HOW SOON WILL THE GOVERNOR’S RACE BEGIN IN EARNEST?

Christy Hoppe with The Dallas Morning News [addresses here](http://www.dallasnews.com/news/politics/state-politics/20140303-gop-poised-to-nominate-staunchly-conservative-slate.ece how staunchly conservative the primaries candidates seem to be.

And the cold weather might be cutting into time at the polls, Jayme Fraser with the Houston Chronicle notes. Travis County already announced that polls wouldn’t open until 11 p.m.

By Matthew Waller
AUSTIN, Texas — Texas is looking at a sea change among statewide candidates, and Tuesday’s primary election might be the most important race in deciding the Lone Star’s leadership.

Gov. Rick Perry isn’t running for re-election, and that has caused a chain reaction of state officials wanting to move up the line.

Texas Attorney General Greg Abbott is running against Lisa Fritsch, Miriam Martinez, and Larry SECEDE Kilgore. Abbott is strongly favored to win, and he would face the Democratic candidate.

State Sen. Wendy Davis, D-Fort Worth, is running against South Texas Municipal Judge Reynaldo Madrigal. Davis is strongly favored to win that competition.

The lieutenant governor race is among the most hotly contested state races.

Lt. Gov. David Dewhurst, the incumbent, is running for re-election against state Sen. Dan Patrick, R-Houston, Land Commissioner Jerry Patterson...

The Texas Tribune’s Jay Root has a story of Victor Hernandez, a Democrat and member of the Lubbock City Council, who denied calling the wife of gubernatorial candidate Texas Attorney General Greg Abbott a “prop” for the Hispanic vote. Abbott alleged that Hernandez did say that, and he cited a blog post from former Republican Party spokesman Bryan Preston. Preston cited a “source.”

The Associated Press’ Chris Tomlinson has a story on how the election could be the first test Democratic efforts to turn Texas into a battleground state. In more analysis, Ross Ramsey at the Trib notes that the Republican Party may need to contend with its elderly base disappearing.

And I have a story on top gubernatorial candidate scrutinizing the governor’s state business incentives. Both have had their concerns, but when it comes down to it, business may continue as usual.

By Matthew Waller
AUSTIN, Texas — When it comes to business incentives administered through the governor’s office, the two front-running candidates to lead the state have had their concerns about the office’s programs.

Texas Attorney General Greg Abbott, the top Republican candidate for governor, told The Associated Press when he first got started on the campaign trail that the state shouldn’t be “in the business of picking winners and losers.”

His tea party supporters are also concerned about programs such as the Texas Enterprise Fund and the Texas Emerging Technology Fund, which provide millions of dollars as deal closers to bring new business to Texas or help them expand in the state.

The funds have been called “corporate welfare” and “crony capitalism,” by critics, while the governor’s office has touted their job creation strengths and positive financial effect on the state.

...

Mike Ward with the Austin American-Statesman reports: “ A second former employee of state Sen. Dan Patrick on Thursday said he hired Mexicans without permission to work in the U.S., quickly igniting the latest round of name-calling in the final days of the Republican primary race for lieutenant governor.”

Texas Attorney General Greg Abbott was a law school classmate with one of the plaintiffs suing to strike down the state’s gay marriage ban. KERA has the story here.
“Phariss told KERA Thursday morning that during law school at Vanderbilt, he discussed politics over dinner with Abbott and his wife. Phariss is a Democrat, Abbott a Republican,” Shelley Kofler reports. “Phariss also says he flew to Abbott’s bedside in 1984 when Abbott was hit by a falling tree limb and paralyzed.”

Today is the last day of early voting, and John Reynolds with the Texas Tribune notes here that a small group...

First and foremost, a federal judge in San Antonio struck down the state’s ban on gay marriage, but he stayed his own decision until an appeals court can look at the case. The Texas Attorney General is appealing the case now to the conservative Fifth Circuit court in New Orleans. The NYT, along with everyone else, has the story. Ahead of the March 4 primaries, candidates for the top statewide position sounded off with clashing views in my round up of comment. And let’s not forget that Sen. Dan Patrick, R-Houston, a lieutenant governor candidate, briefly said that the definition of marriage is one man and one man.

Republican Texas Attorney General candidate state Sen. Ken Paxton is facing fallout after The Dallas Morning News story about several lawmakers bought into an investment scheme from a man who on an unrelated note claimed to have found Noah’s ark. Paxton was among them, and...

By Matthew Waller
AUSTIN — With the March 4 primary election date less than a week away, and early voting still going until Friday, a federal judge’s ruling against Texas’ ban on same-sex marriage brought out the deep partisan divide among Republican and Democrat contenders for the top state offices.

Texas Attorney General Greg Abbott, who is both party to the case and the lead Republican candidate for governor, said the issue should stay with the states.

“This is an issue on which there are good, well meaning people on both sides. And as the lower court acknowledged today, it’s an issue that will ultimately be resolved by a higher court,” Abbott said in a statement.

Abbott said his office is beginning the process of appealing to the Fifth Circuit court in New Orleans, and that the ruling has no effect at the moment since District Judge Orlando Garcia, an appointee of former President...

In further analysis of the the new University of Texas/Texas Tribune Poll, Ross Ramsey points out here that about 23 percent of respondents believed that marijuana should be illegal in all cases. Others had nuance such as allowing medical marijuana or allowing it in small quantities, and 17 percent said it should be legal for any purpose.

The fight for state House seats continues, with House Speaker Rep. Joe Straus, R-San Antonio, facing off against conservative activist Michael Quinn Sullivan. Tim Eaton with the Austin American-Statesman reports here.

Battleground Texas issued a response from an attorney to allegations that they might be breaking the election law in reportedly collecting phone numbers from voter registration. The attorney said the numbers are public record and they haven’t been getting them from registration. My story here.

A Battleground Texas attorney addressed a letter to Texas’ lieutenant governor stating that the group did not violate the law after Lt. Gov. David Dewhurst called for an investigation based on an undercover video alleging misdeeds.

Last week conservative activists with James O’Keefe’s Project Veritas surreptitiously recorded members of Battleground Texas, a Democrat activist organization supporting state Sen. Wendy Davis, D-Fort Worth, in her gubernatorial campaign.

The 7-minute video purported to show members of a Democratic organization telling volunteers to copy phone numbers from voter registration forms in apparent violation of the state election code.

Lt. Gov. David Dewhurst called on complaints to be submitted to the Texas Attorney General. The Office of the Texas Attorney General recused itself from the case and deferred to the Bexar County District Attorney, since the alleged...