In Texas, everything is bigger

 By Samantha Hayes, enroute to Austin, Texas

           In Texas, they say everything is bigger and that slogan may soon apply to politics, too. On March 4th, a whopping 193 Democratic delegates are at stake.  Before Barack Obama's Tuesday victories in Wisconsin and Hawaii, a CNN Opinion Research Corporation Poll suggested the battle between the two in Texas would be close. 50 percent of Democratic primary voters supported Clinton and 48 supported Obama --- TOO CLOSE  TO CALL.. 

            The two were far apart Tuesday night. More than one thousand miles separated Clinton and Obama as they awaited results. Clinton in Ohio and Obama in Texas, two states that vote on March 4th, signaling the importance of those two contests in the battle for their party's nomination. In fact, Clinton's campaign has called the March 4th contests must-wins.

            But before the Lone Star state votes, it hosts the next face-off between the two contenders, a CNN/Univision Democratic Debate tomorrow. It follows nearly a week of tough rhetoric, attack ads, and a winning streak that continued for Obama.

            Like other states with contests after Super Tuesday, Texans didn't think their primary would mean much. But the race for the Democratic nomination took many twists and turns and now the TEXAS VOTE may REPRESENT  the golden ticket for the Democratic nomination.  And enthusiasm has been building. 

            It was just last week that the candidates agreed to The CNN/Univision debate at the University of Texas, and organizers had to scramble to find the right location. They settled on a room  that seats about 15-hundred.   Statesman.com reports more than 43-THOUSAND people entered a lottery for 100 tickets available to the public. 

            Nevertheless, In an election that has shaped up to be about big ideas, and big change, Texas seems like just the right place for a Thursday night show down.