Texans Vote Today for Democratic Candidate to Oppose Sen. Gramm

Texans were set to vote today in a statewide runoff that could make a high school teacher who campaigned in a pickup the Democratic nominee for U.S. Senate.

Polls showed Victor Morales, 46, leading Rep. John Bryant (D-Texas) by a 41%-34% margin in the race to take on Sen. Phil Gramm in November. Morales was a surprise leader in the March 12 primary when he got 36% of the vote to Bryant’s 30%.

Bryant, 49, has been endorsed by most of the state’s Democratic Party hierarchy, but Morales is favored by Latino voters who are expected to turn out heavily because of other congressional and state Legislature runoffs in heavily Latino districts.

Morales got 78% of the Latino vote last month, compared with 12% for Bryant.

Morales is a high school government teacher whose only previous political experience was as a city councilman in Crandall, near Dallas. He ran a low-budget campaign, driving around the state in his small pickup. He supports beefed-up spending for education but has taken few stands on other issues.

Bryant has criticized Morales’ lack of experience, which he said would make him an easy target for Gramm. A recent poll in the Houston Chronicle showed Gramm, who quit the race for the Republican presidential nomination after a poor showing in the Iowa caucuses, with a healthy lead over Morales or Bryant.