Texas, the nation's second most populous state, is also widely reputed to be one of its most conservative. President Bush was governor of the state from 1995 until he won the White House in 2000, and many say the state is still "Bush country." The Lone Star State hands down some of the toughest punishment for violent criminals, including the death penalty. It has loose gun control regulations, no state income taxes and less stringent penalties for corporate bankruptcy and white-collar fraud.

The Texas government has been aggressive in its efforts to deregulate the energy industry. Texas' constitution largely frees counties from state and federal governance. At the same time, Texas has traditionally ranked among the lowest for state spending.

Democrats dominate the Texas delegation in the U.S. House of Representatives - a group currently comprised of 17 Democrats and 13 Republicans. Yet in state-wide elections and appointments, Republicans typically trump Democrats.

Republicans hold all of Texas's 27 elected statewide offices, including judges, governor, commissioners, and the state comptroller. In the 2000 Senate race, incumbent Sen. Kay Bailey Hutchison (R) triumphed over Democrat candidate Gene Kelly with about 65 percent of the votes.

Retiring Republican Sen. Phil Gramm - who has held his Senate seat for three terms - remains extremely popular in Texas; his endorsement of Republican candidate John Cornyn could influence many voters.

The Democratic Party, once the state's predominant political group during the heyday of native sons like President Lyndon Johnson and Sen. Lloyd Bentsen, lost its hold on Texas voters as the GOP's pro-state platform gained increasing public support.

The GOP's advocacy of state rather than federal regulation of the agriculture, oil and gas industries naturally attracted voters with interests in these key state industries. Democrats hope that this year their party will reestablish its hold on Texan voters.

Recent polls show Kirk and Cornyn in a near dead heat to replace Gramm in the U.S. Senate. Campaign analysts suggest that attracting support from racial and ethnic minorities will be crucial for victory. According to the 2000 census, 47 percent of Texans belong to racial or ethnic minorities. A little over 32 percent of Texans are Latino; 11.5 percent African-American; 2.7 percent Asian; and 0.3 percent Native American.

This year, Democrats in Texas have worked to gain a high number of votes from the Latino and black communities. Kirk and gubernatorial candidate Tony Sanchez, a fellow Democrat, have ostensibly billed themselves as the "Rainbow Dream Team" in hopes of attracting "white, black, and brown" voters in Texas, as Kirk said at one fundraiser.

Kirk's support appears strongest with African-American voters, according to a statewide poll commissioned by The Houston Chronicle and a local television news station.

The poll showed Kirk drawing in roughly 62 percent of the African-American vote. Among Texan Latinos, however, Kirk's support appears to be flagging, the poll says. According to the Chronicle's tally, only 39 percent of Latino voters indicated they intend to vote for Kirk.

Political scientist Richard Murray, director of the University of Houston Center for Public Policy, said the former Dallas mayor needs to garner increased support from the Latino community. "At the end of the day, Kirk's going to certainly win the large majority of Hispanic vote.

But he needs at least the usual 75 percent, and he's clearly not there yet," Murray told The Houston Chronicle on Sept. 23. Such a move might not be easy, however, since the conservative and traditional GOP platform appears to be increasingly popular among Hispanic voters in Texas.

U.S. Congressman Henry Bonilla (R-Texas) notes that the rise of Latinos in the middle-income brackets has contributed to the GOP's growing popularity among Latino voters.

Cornyn, who has promoted his Senate campaign to Latinos through radio ads in Spanish, has vowed to get more federal funding for southern Texas communities, also known as the "colonias" and to improve criminal justice "to prosecute drug and criminal activity that occurs along the border," he told a rally in Laredo, Texas.

Corporate corruption and business ethics will likely remain key topics among voters. Democrats have sought to blame Republicans for recent corporate scandals, notably the collapse of Houston-based Enron Corp, and allege Republicans have received substantial financial donations from corrupt companies. Meanwhile, Republicans have accused Kirk of having improper ties to wealthy and influential Texan businessmen.

--By Liz Harper, Online NewsHour