GOP nominee Donald Trump will be in Texas today at fund raisers in Fort Worth and Austin. After fund raising in Cowtown and the Capital, Trump will hold a prime-time rally at the facility east of Austin where the Travis County Rodeo is held every Winter.  It’s an odd choice for the event, but the timing is even odder.   Raising money is normal, what is unusual is the GOP candidate holding a rally in reliably red Texas this late in the campaign.  The Dallas Morning News points out that the last presidential candidate to stage an event this late in the fall campaign in Texas was Bob Dole in 1996.

Trump’s quick Texas swing is motivated by cash needs. The campaign hopes to haul in more than $3 million from Texas donors, and the rally is an afterthought – but one that is sure to draw attention and TV coverage.