Paxton Drops Alamo Finale, Schedules Conroe and Allen Instead

Paxton Drops Alamo Finale, Schedules Conroe and Allen Instead

Alamo finale disappears from the schedule two days out

Republican Senate nominee Ken Paxton was supposed to close his "Come and Take It" bus tour at the Alamo in San Antonio on Nov. 2, the eve of Election Day. On Saturday, Oct. 31, the Alamo stop vanished from his campaign's event listings, leaving only Monday events in Conroe and Allen.

Replacement stops are set for 11 a.m. and 5:30 p.m., 300 miles away

The replacement schedule lists Conroe at 11 a.m. and Allen at 5:30 p.m. on Monday, the latter at a restaurant about 300 miles from the Alamo. Eventbrite, where the campaign posts its tour stops, showed only those two Monday events.

Cancellations in El Paso, Tyler, Texarkana and Mission draw scrutiny

The change followed other cancellations and reschedules in El Paso, Tyler, Texarkana and Mission. The Tyler stop, planned for 11:30 a.m. on Oct. 29 at 1836 Texas Kitchen, was replaced by an evening event in Beaumont as Paxton instead appeared with Vice President J.D. Vance in Weatherford.

Alamo Trust says it knew of no event; politics barred on grounds

The Alamo Trust, which oversees the landmark, told Texas Public Radio on Friday that it was unaware of any planned Paxton event on the grounds. The site's rules generally prohibit political events there, raising questions about whether the finale was ever secured.

Talarico mocks low turnout; Musk spending exceeds $200 million

Democratic rival James Talarico said in an Oct. 30 statement that nobody was attending Paxton's rallies and that Paxton hoped Elon Musk would "buy this seat," referring to more than $200 million Musk has put behind Paxton's side. Filings show Musk gave $158 million through the Senate Leadership Fund, while Houston Chronicle-tracked spending in the race has passed $560 million, the most expensive Senate race in U.S. history.

A 30-stop tour since Oct. 17 ends in a tied race

The tour, which began Oct. 17 in Rockwall with 30 planned stops, is closing in a statistical tie. A Texas Southern University poll of 2,000 likely voters conducted Oct. 21-25 found Talarico at 49% and Paxton at 47%, within the 2.19-point margin of error. An Emerson poll released Oct. 22 put the margin at 48% to 46%. Election Day is Nov. 3.

Discussion

If a campaign moves its closing rally from a famous landmark to an ordinary restaurant, do you read that as practical scheduling or as a sign of weakness? How much do venue and special guests affect whether you would attend a rally in person?