Join The Temporary, The Texas Tribune’s each day publication that retains readers on top of things on probably the most important Texas information.
This text was tailored from our premium politics publication, The Blast, which delivers unique reporting, nonpartisan evaluation and the primary phrase on political strikes throughout the state. Subscribe at the moment.
For individuals who did a doubletake watching state Rep. Caroline Harris Davila’s marketing campaign advert this weekend, no, these will not be the Davilas’ youngsters.
The Spherical Rock Republican on Friday launched an advert about defending youngsters and bettering faculty lunches, ending with Harris Davila and her husband, Darrell Davila, posing with 4 youngsters. Nonetheless, the children are constituents.
Within the advert, Harris Davila says she’s defending “our future,” and he or she’s seen patting the smallest of 4 youngsters on the again whereas smiling and speaking with the opposite three.
Within the ultimate shot, she picks up that boy whereas Darrell Davila places his arm across the second-smallest boy, smiling for the digital camera.
The idyllic household shot puzzled Capitol watchers who have been unaware of that Harris Davila nor Davila, the chief of workers to Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick, had youngsters.
Reaching out on behalf of the Harris Davila marketing campaign, advisor Jordan Berry informed The Blast that the children and girl featured earlier within the advert are constituents.
An important Texas information,
despatched weekday mornings.
The Davilas married a bit over a 12 months in the past and, to be clear, don’t have any youngsters collectively or from earlier than their union. Harris Davila is operating for her first reelection, dealing with Democrat Jennie Birkholz in Texas Home District 52.
Though the freshman gained by 12 factors in 2022, she and Texas Republicans are taking her race critically. Gov. Greg Abbott will be a part of her in Hutto on Wednesday for a get-out-the-vote occasion. All of the whereas, she’s been knocking on doorways, together with with the assistance of Republican colleagues from throughout the state.
The Harris Davila marketing campaign has additionally up to date its web site for the ultimate stretch. As not too long ago as Oct. 2, her marketing campaign listed “pro-life” because the second from the highest of its marketing campaign points, in accordance with web archives. Now, the marketing campaign doesn’t checklist “pro-life” as certainly one of its points.
Nonetheless, her pre-Oct. 2 marketing campaign points part reads extra like a holdover from her 2022 marketing campaign, a resume of her work from her time as a coverage staffer to state Sen. Bryan Hughes, R-Mineola. The web page mentioned Harris Davila “advised one of the most conservative senators in Texas on victories,” together with “Passed the Heartbeat Act, the strongest Pro-Life law in America, saving thousands of lives.” Hughes sponsored that invoice in 2021.
HD-52, which covers a 3rd of Williamson County residents, is altering shortly.
“It is one of, if not the fastest growing districts in the state,” knowledge and analysis advisor Derek Ryan informed The Blast. In response to Ryan’s most up-to-date knowledge, there are 165,000 registered voters within the district, up from 126,000 in 2020. Ryan says the rise makes it the quickest rising Home district within the state, each in uncooked voters and on a proportion foundation. The district can be house to numerous households. In response to U.S. Census Bureau estimates from 2022, greater than half of the households have three or extra folks.
However as for the advert, the state of affairs is paying homage to the marketing campaign media from Virginia congressional candidate Derrick Anderson, who posted content material with a good friend’s spouse and three daughters who critics say he tried to go off as his family.