John McCain might be pretty confident about winning Texas, but it looks like he has lost the wealthiest part of Dallas — which is to say, the Park Cities. Texas Rep. Dan Branch commissioned a Baselice & Associates poll of his district the week after the Republican convention, and what he found was surprising. While McCain was enjoying a national “Palin bounce,” District 108 wasn’t feeling the love. Branch’s poll found that 47 percent of voters planned to pull the lever for Obama, only 45 percent for McCain.
To appreciate the significance of those numbers, have a look at the boundaries of District 108. From the north, it includes Highland Park and University Park, site of the future Bush library, in case you’d forgotten. To the south, it includes most of downtown Dallas. In other words, there’s a reason Branch is a Republican. That same poll found Branch leading Democratic challenger Emil Reichstadt 58 to 24 percent. In the Senate race, Republican John Cornyn was leading Democratic challenger Rick Noriega 49 to 40 percent.
