ROCKWALL, Texas — Turnout has proven steady during early voting at the Rockwall County Library where opponents campaigning just a few feet away from each other vie to prove they are miles apart when it comes to who is the true conservative.
District 33 challenger Katrina Pierson faces incumbent Justin Holland in the May 28th runoff election: Holland is one of six Republicans targeted statewide for allegedly not being "Republican" enough. That's what a flurry of campaign attack ads claim.
"We don't watch the news," said Holland during a break from meeting with voters outside the library. "We don't watch the commercials because it's just so overwhelming."
Holland drew the ire of Gov. Greg Abbott for voting against school vouchers, (Holland believes they diminish the public school system), voting to impeach Attorney General Ken Paxton, and supporting an effort to raise the age to purchase an assault rifle from 18 to 21.
"They were votes that I took on principle," Holland said. "They were votes that I took because that's the way that the people in my district who elected me to be their representative expected me to vote and not the way that just one of the statewide elected officials wants me to."
Voters ring a bell here every time a vote is cast at the library for Katrina Pierson, a former spokesperson for former President Donald Trump, who has received endorsements from Abbott, Paxton, and Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick.
"It feels good to have the conservatives in the state supporting me, but it feels even better to have the local support here," Pierson said. "Everyone that is a conservative in this district is behind this campaign."
In a district that includes Rockwall County and a small portion of Collin County, Holland and Pierson each got roughly 40% of the vote in the first round. The other 20% went to third-place finisher Dennis London. In the runoff, Holland believes a conservative pro-life, pro-2nd Amendment voting record will bring him the votes he needs to return to Austin.
"I've got all the conservative bona fides and I'm able to also say that I've taken principled votes for my district," he said. "Along with the person that is from this community, truly from this community, grew up here. "
But despite carpetbagging allegations against the Forney High School graduate that are part of the ad campaigns against her, Pierson believes momentum is on her side.
"We're up in the polls," she said. "But we're working like we're behind in the polls. That's why we're out here every single day until the polls close."
Polls watched closely all the way to Austin.