AUSTIN, Texas – Texas Comptroller Don Huffines told Republicans in a video that spread widely on X this week that the early vote “is not in our favor,” as early voting in the Nov. 3 election wraps up today, Friday, Oct. 30.

“Patriots, consider me your Travis letter,” Huffines said in the video, a reference to William Barret Travis’s famous plea for help from the Alamo. “Right now, it is not going well. You need to know that and you need to be scared and you need to be concerned.”

https://x.com/DonHuffines/status/2115868013916213586

In the post with the video, Huffines wrote that “for the first time, Democrats are OUT-VOTING Republicans in early voting,” that the gap is “a nearly 600,000-vote swing against us since the last midterm,” and that 1.6 million Republican primary voters still had not cast a ballot. In the video, he said those numbers are based on early voters’ past primary voting.

Texas voters do not register by party, so claims about which party is ahead in early voting are estimates based on which primary voters took part in before. The Maverick Times News could not independently verify Huffines’s figures.

“When we lose Texas, we will lose the USA,” Huffines said, urging every Republican to vote even if they are unhappy with a candidate.

The post had drawn more than 420,000 views, about 3,500 likes and more than 750 replies by early Friday.

Turnout so far

Through Wednesday, Oct. 28, 6,228,664 Texans had voted, including 5,989,555 in person and 239,109 by mail, according to the Texas Secretary of State. That is about 32.7% of the state’s 19,041,684 registered voters, with two days of early voting still to be counted.

Huffines, a Republican and former state senator from Dallas, was appointed comptroller by Gov. Greg Abbott and sworn in Aug. 1, after acting Comptroller Kelly Hancock stepped down. He is on the ballot for a full term against Democrat Sarah Eckhardt.

The top of the ticket also features close races. Republican Ken Paxton and Democrat James Talarico are running for U.S. Senate, and Gov. Abbott faces Democrat Gina Hinojosa.

How to vote

Early voting ends today at 7 p.m. in most counties. On Election Day, Tuesday, Nov. 3, polls are open from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. Voters need one of seven accepted forms of photo ID. Polling places are listed at VoteTexas.gov and on county elections websites.

Read our earlier coverage: More Than 5 Million Texans Vote Early As New Polls Show Tight Senate And Governor Races

Sources: @DonHuffines on X, Oct. 29 | Texas Secretary of State early voting turnout | Office of the Governor, Huffines appointment | Texas Comptroller, Huffines sworn in | VoteTexas.gov