During a Texarkana campaign stop, two Democrats seeking office in Texas asked voters to choose the best person for the job regardless of political party.
Kim Olson, nominee for agriculture commissioner, and Justin Nelson, nominee for attorney general, spoke with supporters Wednesday at TaMolly's restaurant on the Texas side, emphasizing that their agendas are nonpartisan.
Calling his campaign the "Nobody Is Above the Law Tour," Nelson focused on allegations against incumbent Attorney General Ken Paxton, who has been indicted on three felony charges, two for securities fraud and another for failure to register as an investment adviser.
"This election is not about left versus right. It's about right versus wrong. And the people of Texas want a Texas attorney general who's going to enforce the law and not break the law, and hold people accountable to the rule of law. I will be a check on power, not a rubber stamp for anyone, whether in Washington, D.C., or in Austin.
"You should not know whether your Texas attorney general is a Democrat or a Republican," Nelson said. "I don't think the vast majority of Republicans, let alone Independents or Democrats, wants a crooked attorney general just to implement a partisan agenda."
Judicial gag orders in Paxton's cases have prevented him from directly addressing the charges against him. His attorneys have said he looks forward to his day in court.
Nelson vowed to focus on ending political corruption if elected, pointing to a plan that would ban gifts from parties with legal matters before the attorney general's office, close loopholes and provide transparency equal to or greater than federal standards.
"I would reorient that office away from making political statements and instead put in those resources to fighting corruption and fighting fraud. We need someone that will fight corruption in that office and not be a part of it," he said.
Nelson touched on other issues he would address if elected, including addressing the opioid addiction epidemic and protecting public schools.
A professor of law at the University of Texas, Nelson clerked for Supreme Court Associate Justice Sandra Day O'Connor. His bid this year is his first run for political office.
Olson too argued against partisanship, saying the agriculture commission does not legislate and so voters should make their choice of commissioner based on the candidates' individual characteristics.
"Look, feeding kids, making sure seniors have good food, getting good food to families all across Texas isn't a red issue or a blue issue. It's a red, white and blue issue. And making sure that we hang on to this great Texas economy that is agriculture ain't a Democratic value and ain't a Republican value. It's a Texas value," she said.
Her agenda also includes bringing broadband internet access to farmers, ranchers and other rural Texans to allow them to fully participate in the global economy.
"(Broadband) ought to be a public utility like electricity and water," she said.
Olson said East Texas will play an important role in Texas' future agricultural economy.
The state's "population is supposed to double in the next couple of decades. Most of it's going to sit east of I-35. So we can't have reckless development; we can't concrete all this great farmland that sits here in East Texas.
"So we have to have ways to move family farms to the next generation. We have to conserve the land that grows our food. We have to be good stewards of the land and make sure that we're using it for generations to come. And East Texas is absolutely critical to that," she said.
Among the first generation of female military pilots, Olson retired as a colonel after 25 years in the Air Force, during which she commanded troops in several combat zones including Iraq. She is a fourth-generation farmer who lives on a farm in Palo Pinto County.
Early voting begins Oct. 22, and Election Day is Nov. 6.