Early voting for the Texas primary runoffs begins Monday. Well-funded candidates will blitz the airwaves with ads and local politicians will be going door-to-door and working the phones to bring out the vote.

Getting supporters to the polls is critical in runoff elections. A few dozen votes made the difference in many Texas House races in the 2008 runoffs, with fewer than 6,000 people casting ballots in most districts. Perhaps more than usual, every vote will count between now and election day on July 31.

Lt. Gov. David Dewhurst and Ted Cruz are in a fierce statewide race for the Republican nomination to replace U.S. Sen. Kay Bailey Hutchison. Former state Rep. Paul Sadler and retired teacher Grady Yarbrough are competing for the Democratic nomination.

Copyright 2012 Associated Press, All rights reserved.
This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.