By BJ Austin, KERA News
http://stream.publicbroadcasting.net/production/mp3/kera/local-kera-887703.mp3
Dallas, TX – Today's the last day for early voting in the state primary elections. Republican candidate for Governor, Debra Medina will be in Weatherford for a meet and greet, and a Tea Party event. In the final week before the vote, KERA is catching up with the candidates. Last night, Debra Medina spoke to a standing-room-only crowd at Robson Ranch in Denton County. KERA's BJ Austin was there.
Debra Medina was running late, but the crowd in a large room at the Robson Ranch Clubhouse didn't seem to mind.
Medina: "Thank you for waiting for me this evening "
For an hour, Medina touched on the major themes of her campaign: leading with the top two.
Medina: You heard me champion throughout this campaign that I believe private property ownership and gun ownership are the two essential elements of freedom.
Medina says property rights must be strengthened and that includes an end to government abuse of eminent domain. She reiterated her call to get rid of property taxes and replace them with a broad-based sales tax.
That appealed to retired high school counselor Curtis Hicks.
Hicks: That will affect a lot of us here at Robson Ranch because we're an active adult community, and there's nobody who has any children here. And we're paying big property taxes, school taxes, and there's not a child out here.
Carol Cajka's vote in Tuesday's primary will go to Governor Perry or Debra Medina - she's not sure which.
Cajka: I know what he stands for. I know what he has done for the state. I am listening to what Ms. Medina has to say. And then I will be making my decision based on what I hear from her.
Afterward, Cajka said she liked what she heard from Debra Medina, but has not made up her mind. Romero Escamilla wanted to hear more specifics - especially on illegal immigration.
Escamilla: I think she was rather vague on a lot of issues. I think that she needs to expound more clearly her stand, and whether she really would be a proponent to bring about of fairness system to this issue that no politician wants to touch with a ten foot pole.
She says she has learned a lot this past year, criss-crossing the state on the campaign trail.
Medina: People want a voice. I think many of us feel like we haven't been listened to, and we've got solutions to offer. They want to participate in what's going on in their community and their state. We just have to ask and give them the opportunity to do that.
Curtis Hicks believes Debra Medina's chances to make a runoff on Tuesday are better than many people think.
Hicks: Nobody gave Scott Brown a chance in Massachusetts, either. And I think she's really coming on and will probably surprise some people here at the end.
Officials with the Medina campaign say they are encouraged by the higher-than-normal number of "early" Republican voters across the state, and are banking that many of them are Medina votes.