This one by Paula Pierson takes the cake. In an attack mail piece, she said:

“Guess Chris Turner isn’t proud to be a Democrat.”

Outrageous, desperate, untrue.

I’ve been a Democrat all my life, and Paula knows it just like everyone else who knows me. I was Executive Director of the Tarrant County Democratic Party. I ran four campaigns for Democratic Congressman Chet Edwards. I’ve supported President Obama since 2007. Lisa and I are contributors to his campaign. I’m a proud, loyal, hardworking Democrat.

So why did Paula attack me by making such an outrageous statement?

Paula has a big problem. She has not been a good or loyal Democrat.

• Paula voted in five Republican primaries and runoffs.
• She told the Star-Telegram in 2000 that she was a Republican.
• She even went to Washington, DC to celebrate George W. Bush’s inauguration.

Paula can’t explain her own Republican past to voters, so she decided to launch a false attack against me.

It is a sad and desperate tactic. I need your help to make sure it doesn’t work. We must make sure that every voter in our district knows who the real Democrat is. Over the next few days, we must make sure our supporters hear the truth and vote.

Your help today with a contribution of $500, $250, $100, $50 or anything you can afford will make sure voters know the truth.

Your help this weekend as we make calls, knock on doors and greet voters at the polls will spread the word.

Rick Perry and the Tea Party Republicans are doing so much damage to our state – we have to send strong, true Democrats to Austin to take them on. I’m ready to do just that – I need your help to get there.

Today, I’m proud to announce that former Congressman Martin Frost has endorsed our campaign for District 101 in the Democratic primary!

Congressman Frost had this to say,

 I am proud to give my full support and endorsement to Chris Turner for State Representative. I know Chris well, and he is a committed, lifelong Democrat who will work tirelessly for all the families of Arlington and Grand Prairie.

Chris is the kind of legislator that we need in Austin – someone who works hard and is willing to stand up for Texas families, stand up for Texas workers, stand up for veterans, and stand up for equality and justice for all.

Chris won’t hesitate to take on Rick Perry and the Tea Party Republicans to protect our public schools and working families.

I am truly honored to have the endorsement and support of Congressman Frost. Martin represented all of District 101 at various times during his 26 years in Congress. Voters know and trust him. I am so proud to have his support in this campaign.

Martin continues to be a guiding light and source of inspiration for both Lisa and me in how we serve our neighbors. His work with Governor Ann Richards and union members to save jobs at General Motors, leadership in passing the Amber Hagerman Child Protection Act, and tireless work on behalf of his constituents are just a few of the reasons Martin is so well-regarded in our community.

Martin also knows a thing or two about taking on Republicans – and winning. As Chairman of the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee, Martin picked up Democratic seats in the Congress in two consecutive election cycles. Martin led redistricting efforts for Democrats in Texas and helped countless Texas Democrats win campaigns. I hope to follow in his footsteps and help elect more Democrats around the state in the months and years ahead.

I hope you will join Martin in supporting my campaign today. We have made good progress towards our online goal of $12,000, but with just four days left until our next report deadline, we need your help. District 101 voters are ready for a representative in Austin who is going to fight for all of us – just like Congressman Frost did when he was in office. You can give $250, $100, $75, $50, or $25 and make a real difference in this campaign and for this district.

Thanks so much for your continued support!

Turner has worked tirelessly to serve our area while working for the good of the entire state.

Early voting started this morning at 8:00 am, and I was out bright and early greeting voters at the Bob Duncan Center in central Arlington. As I talked to voters this morning, and as I’ve talked to them over the last several months, I’ve learned that there are four key reasons why voters in the district 101 want strong and true Democratic representation in Austin. Over the next six days, you’ll be seeing e-mails from me talking about each of these.

And over the next six days, in order to give the people of our district the type of Democratic leadership they deserve from their next state representative, I need your help to raise $12,000 online – that will help us pay for crucial Get Out The Vote activities in the next two weeks. Our next reporting deadline is on May 19th – that’s less than one week away – and every contribution of $100, $75, $50, or $25 will help get us one step closer to meeting our goal.

So, to kick off this fundraising campaign, let’s cover the number one reason that voters in this new district tell me why they want a true Democrat representing them in Austin:

 Governor Rick Perry.

 Voters are tired of the mockery that Rick Perry and his Tea Party Republican leadership have made of our state government. Voters want a representative who is not afraid to stand up to Rick Perry’s destructive policies – and someone who has been focused on taking him and his misplaced priorities on from the very start of this campaign. Whether it’s his double dipping of taxpayer dollars as he draws both a pension and a salary, or his budget gimmicks that result in the slashing of critical programs that thousands of Texans rely on every day, voters are fed up – and they are ready for change.

Our new, Democratic district deserves strong Democratic representation in Austin, and with the start of early vote, you have the chance to make sure they get it. Make a contribution of $100, $75, $50, or $25 to our campaign so that this district can send someone to Austin who will stand up to Rick Perry and his misplaced priorities.

Monday-Friday, May 14-May 18:
8am to 5pm

Saturday. May 19:
7am to 7 pm

Sunday, May 20:
11am-4pm

Monday-Friday, May 21-May 25:
7am to 7pm

You can vote early at any early polling location in Tarrant County. These are the locations most convenient to HD 101 residents:

James Starrett Elementary
2675 Fairmont Dr.
Grand Prairie, TX 75052

Sub-Courthouse
700 E. Abram St.
Arlington, TX 76010

South Service Center
1100 S.W. Green Oaks Blvd.
Arlington, TX 76006

Bob Duncan Center
2800 S. Center St.
Arlington, TX 76014

For a free ride to the polls, call (817) 561-4900.

For complete details on early voting locations and times, click here to visit the Tarrant County Elections Office website.

In announcing the endorsement, Linda Bridges, Texas AFT President said:

“Chris Turner is someone we know we can count on to stand up for Texas schoolchildren and educators. Chris Turner proved himself as a strong advocate for public education and an effective leader. We need to return him to the House to help undo the serious damage done by the severe education budget cuts of 2011. Chris Turner understands that to move our state forward again we all must pull together to support our schoolchildren and the dedicated teachers and school employees in our public schools.”

I’m extremely honored to be endorsed by the Texas AFT. With public education as the most pressing issue facing our state, this key endorsement is especially meaningful. I am committed to fighting alongside public school teachers to strengthen our neighborhood schools.

From day one, our campaign has been out front about taking on Rick Perry and Tea Party Republicans, fighting to restore the billions that were cut from our state’s public education budgets. From day one, we have been crystal clear about standing up to the destructive policies and decisions made during the last legislative session.

Our grassroots campaign picks up more momentum every day. I hope you will join the teachers, the public safety officers, the grassroots Democratic organizations, veterans and the voters who are working each and every day to win this race so we can take on Rick Perry and his Tea Party cronies by contributing $100, $50, or $25 today.

From day one, we have been leading the charge to take on Rick Perry, and we are not letting up. Thank you for your continued support!

I know we’ve been sending out a lot of e-mails lately, but that’s because our campaign successes just keep coming. Over the last few weeks, our campaign has earned 10 major endorsements. In fact, I’m proud to announce one more endorsement that our campaign has received from the Combined Law Enforcement Associations of Texas!

We continue to receive strong support from voters in HD 101 as we knock on doors, make phone calls, and talk with people about what they want in their next state representative, explaining to them they have a choice in this election.

Although it’s pretty clear, let’s break this down:

Fundraising lead + big lead in major endorsements + grassroots support = a winning campaign.

The Democratic primary is just under four weeks away on May 29th. Now is the time to double down and help us knock on doors, make phone calls and take our message directly to the voters. You’ve helped us get this far – now I need your help to bring it home. Be proud of what we’ve accomplished – victory is within our reach.

ARLINGTON – Campaign finance reports filed this week show that former State Representative Chris Turner (D-Grand Prairie) has raised more than two times the amount that the Paula Hightower Pierson campaign has. Turner’s campaign also has a significant cash-on-hand advantage for the final month of the race.

“I am very thankful for all of the individuals and organizations who have invested their time, money and support in our campaign,” Turner said. “It is clear that we have the momentum going into the final month and our message of electing a true Democrat who will stand up for our district is the right one. Our fundraising success, combined with our grassroots support and endorsements is another clear indication that our campaign is on the road to victory.”

From January 1 to April 19, Turner raised $65,398, ending with cash reserves of $60,396. Turner’s campaign received a total of 122 contributions from a variety of individuals, organizations and labor unions. Pierson raised less than half what Turner did — just $27,935 — and had $39,869 remaining on hand. In addition, the Pierson campaign has gone into debt, having to borrow $16,000 from the candidate in the last month. Turner has raised more than $140,000 total for the campaign so far, while Pierson has raised only $88,000.

“Our campaign is well-positioned to win, while the Pierson campaign is clearly struggling,” said Kate Fox, Turner Campaign Manager. “While their campaign is in debt and has lost the endorsement race, we have a diverse support base and the means to let the voters know that they have a choice in this race. We have the winning combination.”

In addition to his strong fundraising reports, over the last several weeks Turner has been endorsed by an extensive list of organizations and associations. The Texas State Teachers Association, the Tejano Democrats of North Texas, the Texas Academy of Family Physicians, the Texas Medical Association TEXPAC, the Texas Hospital Association HOSPAC, Teamsters Local 745 DRIVE Committee, Arlington Professional Firefighters Local 1329, the Arlington Police Association, the Metroplex Democrats of Arlington, and Combined Law Enforcement Associations of Texas, have all endorsed Turner in the HD 101 race.

Turner is a lifelong Democrat who has worked to elect Democrats across Texas. He and his wife Lisa lived in South Arlington for nearly a decade, and their children attended Summit High School in South Arlington. The Turners now live in south Grand Prairie. While serving in the state legislature from 2009 to 2011, Turner’s priorities included reforming the insurance system to protect the interests of consumers, expanding veterans’ benefits, fighting for better funding for public schools, making college more affordable, strengthening DWI laws to protect families from repeat offenders, and lowering utility rates.