The above video is from Inside Texas Politics.
Updated on Saturday, Dec. 19.
Election Day has arrived in the runoff election between the Dallas salon owner who was jailed this year for reopening her business against the governor's orders and a state representative who has been endorsed by Gov. Greg Abbott.
Abbott announced earlier this month that he was throwing his support behind state Rep. Drew Springer.
Springer is running against fellow Republican Shelley Luther, who was jailed after she reopened her salon despite coronavirus pandemic restrictions.
Voters should expect a bruiser between the two Republicans in the election for the District 30 state Senate seat. They were separated by only 164 votes, out of nearly 69,000 total, in the special election.
Early voting in the race began on Dec. 9, and the winner will replace Pat Fallon, who was recently elected to the U.S. House in Texas’ 4th Congressional District.
Springer currently represents District 68 in the Texas House, which covers a stretch of the northern part of the state from the panhandle down to Sweetwater and stretches from Gainesville to near Lubbock.
Senate District 30 covers much of the same eastern portion of the House district and encircles an area of the state northwest of Dallas and Fort Worth, including Sherman, Denton, Weatherford and Stephenville, as well as Wichita Falls.
Abbot said he was endorsing Springer because he was a "proven leader" with his work on property tax reform and "the only candidate in this race who is endorsed by the NRA."
"It is critical that we have principled conservatives in the Texas Senate, which is why I am proud to endorse Drew Springer for State Senator in District 30," Abbott said in a statement with the announcement, which was posted to YouTube.
"The people of District 30 can trust Drew Springer to fight for the issues that matter most to them, and I urge North Texas voters to support him in the upcoming runoff election."
Springer shared the video on his official Facebook page, saying he was "honored" by the governor's support.
Luther clapped back against the endorsement on her Facebook page, saying Abbott did what they had "known for months" and that she was the "real, authentic conservative" in the race.
"It was Governor Abbott's unconstitutional orders that put me in jail for opening my business, and Springer stood by as many SD 30 businesses declared bankruptcy or were prohibited from opening," she said in the post.
Luther joined Inside Texas Politics earlier this year and told Jason Whitely there is a definite rift in the Republican party.
“In Austin, they’ve got their set ways. It’s a good old boy system,” Luther said. “And they don’t want someone coming in who is not going to agree with everything that they say and is going to stand up for the people.”
Springer had acknowledged on Inside Texas Politics that the race was contentious even before the runoff, especially because of its shortened campaign timeline.
And now voters have hours left to head to the polls to choose which candidate's version of conservatism fits them best.