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Ciara O'Rourke
By Ciara O'Rourke February 26, 2010

Turner says Workman voted in a Democratic primary

For the three Republicans running for a Texas House seat representing southwest Travis County, the campaign trail has turned into a trial over who's consorting with the enemy.

In that vein, transplanted Fort Worth lawyer Holly Turner has attacked opponent Paul Workman's voting history. In a radio ad that debuted Feb. 25, Turner accuses Workman of voting for Democrats.

"Official records show he voted in the Democrat primary, supporting Democrats with his vote," the narrator says.

Indeed?

Craig Murphy, Turner's spokesman, pointed to Travis County's voting records.

Our search shows that Workman voted in the 1994 Democratic primary, though he voted in the two previous GOP primaries and in eight Republican primaries from 1996 through 2010.

So over 20 years, Workman voted in every Republican primary except for one in '94.

What caused Workman to cross party lines and vote Democratic? We didn't find out; his campaign consultant, Eric Bearse, said Workman "doesn't recall voting in that primary."

The record shows he did.

We rate Turner's statement as True.

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Our Sources

Travis County Tax Assessor Collector, Paul Workman's voter registration certification, accessed Feb. 25, 2010

Interview with Eric Bearse, consultant for Paul Workman's campaign, Feb. 25, 2010

Interview with Craig Murphy, spokesman for Holly Turner's campaign, Feb. 25, 2010

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Turner says Workman voted in a Democratic primary

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