| Ed. note: The following is one of twenty races we are featuring in the Texas Political Report.
Candidate Pages: Rep. Joe Moody website, on Facebook, on Twitter
Candidate Pages: Dee Margo website, on Facebook, on Twitter
District Overview: The Numbers, The Issues, and the Candidates
This race is a re-match of last year's race, when Moody defeated Margo 51.5-45.1%. The district is a Democratic seat, and Moody is generally expected to hold onto the seat, despite strong fundraising numbers from Margo. As Elise Hu wrote in her Texas Tribune article about State House races: Margo has gone 0-for-2 so far in his bid for a spot in the Legislature, but the insurance company CEO — an exceptional fundraiser, with big El Paso backers like Paul Foster and Woody Hunt in his corner — could take what Olsen calls "as much of a Republican district in El Paso as you're going to get.”
The district is the most Democratic seat Republicans are challenging this year, and Rep. Moody is running a much stronger race a second time around. Moody is knocking on 3,000 doors a week in his district, before Labor Day, while Margo is now trying to claim that he is "1/4 Hispanic" -- the first time he's made such a claim in the many times he's run for office in El Paso. Why Rep. Joe Moody Returns Next Year Republicans continue to run in the seat because it is the only race for them to seat they could conceivably run for in El Paso -- much like the efforts to unseat Rep. Donna Howard in Austin. Rep. Moody has a strong presence in the district, his name ID is high, and even in this political climate, the Republicans in Austin rarely bring up Margo as a serious challenger. If it were a fresh face in the district, or if Moody had made some terrible votes -- maybe. But neither is true in this race. It is one to watch, but it's not really a district anyone expects to flip this cycle. June 30 Campaign Finance Report: HD 78: Moody vs. Margo
| Contributions
| Expenditures
| Cash on Hand
| Loans
| Rep. Joe Moody (D)
| $77,918 | $35,868 | $66,074 | -
| Dee Margo (R)
| $182,217 | $68,084 | $105,996 | $126,000
| Margo's Advantage
| $104,299 | - | $39,922 | -
| |
