Diana Maldonado

A Tarrant County judge has been charged with drunk-driving, while a judge dismissed a separate drunk-driving charge against an Austin-area legislator.  Charges have been filed against State District Judge Elizabeth Berry for allegedly driving while intoxicated when she was in Johnson County earlier this month. However, charges were dismissed against state Rep. Mike Krusee (R-Round Rock) for driving under the influence of alcohol.     

Below are the unofficial early voting totals from Williamson County, as reported by the Williamson County Elections Department.

House District 52 

Diana Maldonado (D) 50 percent

Bryan Daniel (R) 46 percent

It may be the weekend, but campaigns are not slowing down just a few days before Election Day. Here's what some campaigns are doing this weekend.  

U.S. Senate

State Rep. Rick Noriega (D-Houston) is campaigning in the Rio Grande Valley Saturday. He will return to Houston Saturday evening and spend time in Houston area churches Sunday.

Diana Maldonado speaks at Noriega rally: Politicker photoROUND ROCK - After Democrat Diana Maldonado spoke briefly at a campaign rally for state Rep. Rick Noriega (D-Houston), she outlined her campaign's final days in an interview with PolitickerTX.com. She said her Republican opponent, Bryan Daniel, would not be an independent voice for the community because of the large, last-minute contributions he has taken from a handful of donors. 

Georgetown Republican Bryan Daniel's war chest ballooned, with almost $600,000 dollars in contributions during the past month, but more than half his haul came from just two sources.

Daniel's campaign had been cash-strapped for months, but two PACs, House Speaker Tom Craddick's Stars Over Texas and Texans for Lawsuit Reform, infused his campaign with more than $360,000 in contributions. From Sept. 26 to Oct. 25 he brought in close to $588,000, while Democrat Diana Maldonado brought in nearly $305,000.

The Austin American-Statesman endorsed two Democrats running in competitive state House races. In House District 52, the Statesman backed Diana Maldonado, a former Round Rock school board president, and supported La Grange agricultural consultant Donnie Dippel for House District 17.

The editorial board backed both candidates in large measure because it said their opponents might support the current House leadership, which the board opposes.  

Democrat Diana Maldonado crushed Republican Bryan Daniel in the last fundraising quarter, out raising her opponent by nearly three-to-one and keeping far more cash on hand. According to Texas Ethics Commission filing reports, Maldonado raised about $227,000 from Jul. 1 to Sept. 25, while Daniel took in nearly $85,000. Heading into the final weeks of the campaign, Maldonado has almost $280,000 cash on hand, while Daniel has under $20,000.

Democrat Diana Maldonado is running as both a candidate of change and someone who wants to maintain her district's roots and its reputation as a great place to live, work, and raise a family.

"I have the courage to protect Williamson County's rural past and lead our community to a safe and prosperous future," Maldonado told PolitickerTX.com.

The first thing you notice about Bryan Daniel is he talks fast. The second is he likes lists. The Georgetown Republican quickly recalled his policy positions and district's needs in an interview with PolitickerTX.com. No doubt this skill will be useful as he heads into the last days of one of Texas's most competitive state House contests.

Republican Bryan Daniel has picked up the endorsements of the Texas Association of Realtors and the Williamson County Association of Realtors.  The Texas Association of Realtors Political Action Committee is one the state's largest PACs, and the association claims over 90,000 members.  

The association has backed incumbents from both parties this year but has tended to endorse Republican candidates in open contests.