Texas voters are heading to the polls in November for local and state races. The report explains that the governor signs or vetoes bills passed by the legislature, appoints state officials and board members, commands the state's military and National Guard, and issues disaster declarations.
The report says the U.S. Senate race is between Attorney General Ken Paxton and State Representative James Tallarico. It notes that the balance of power in the Senate is at stake and that the two campaigns have spent over half a billion dollars combined.
The report describes the attorney general as the state's top lawyer, and the comptroller as the official who projects state spending, collects taxes and manages about $50 billion in state investments. Four candidates are on the comptroller ballot: Republican Don Huffines, the incumbent appointed by Greg Abbott in August, Libertarian Alonzo Echeverria Garza, and Green Party candidate Sheila Faisal.