Despite delays, confusion and conflicting court orders in Dallas County, home to U.S. Rep. Jasmine Crockett, and comparable chaos in Williamson County, home to state Rep. James Talarico, the latter has claimed victory in a hotly contested Democratic primary race for a U.S. Senate seat.
GOP hopefuls John Cornyn, the longtime incumbent, and Attorney General Ken Paxton are headed to a May 26 runoff, and the winner will face Talarico in November. The primary was a key race for Democrats, as many believe Talarico has a chance of flipping the seat held by Cornyn for 23 years.
The Associated Press called the Democratic primary in Talarico’s favor around 2 a.m. Wednesday. Talarico, a seminary student and former teacher, referred to his campaign as a “people-powered movement to take on this broken, corrupt political system.
“Tonight, the people of our state gave this country a little bit of hope, and a little bit of hope is a dangerous thing,” he told supporters.
Crockett conceded Wednesday morning after pointing out that voters were disenfranchised and confused by changes in Dallas, Williamson and El Paso counties that required voters cast ballots in assigned neighborhood precincts, rather than previously-used centralized locations. A Dallas County judge ruled that polls could stay open for two extra hours because of the confusion, but the ruling was overturned by the Texas Supreme Court, so it’s unclear how the late votes are being counted.
Nonetheless, Crockett told supporters that Texas is primed to turn blue and the party should remain united. “This is about the future of all 30 million Texans and getting America back on track,” she said in a statement. “With the primary behind us, Democrats must rally around our nominees and win.”
Talarico did not win Harris County, according to data from Harris Votes. He got 169,968 votes, or 46.74 percent. Crockett earned 189,810 Harris County votes, or 52.2 percent.
Experts predict that the Cornyn-Paxton runoff will be a bloodbath. “While polling and operatives in both camps anticipated a Paxton-Cornyn runoff matchup, the narrow margin indicates that the level of spending and viciousness, already high on both accounts, will only increase,” the Texas Tribune reported.
As of mid-morning Wednesday, Cornyn had about 41.9 percent while Paxton had 40.7 percent. U.S. Rep. Wesley Hunt, who gave up his House seat to enter the primary, came in third, ending his political career, at least temporarily. Cornyn also had a slight edge in Harris County, scoring 38.5 percent of the vote to Paxton’s 37.61 percent.
As predicted, Gov. Greg Abbott and Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick handily won their Republican primaries. Abbott will face state Rep. Gina Hinojosa in November. With 92 percent of precincts reporting around 10 a.m. Wednesday, it appeared state Rep. Vikki Goodwin and union leader Marcos Velez would go to a runoff for the Democratic nomination in the lieutenant governor’s race.
Hinojosa said at a March 1 rally in Houston that it’s time to end the 30-year reign of Texas Republicans in the highest statewide offices, a refrain that’s been repeatedly referenced by Democratic candidates hoping for a blue wave, or as some call it, a blue miracle.
“The reason why, under his leadership, we are all struggling more after 12 years of Greg Abbott, is we are all paying the Greg Abbott corruption tax,” Hinojosa said. “Texans are working more and getting less because Greg Abbott is dead set on lining the pockets of his donors while our families foot the bill. From skyrocketing energy bills, to countless neighborhood school closures and a healthcare system that leaves millions behind, Texans deserve better.”
More than half a million of Harris County’s 2.7 million voters cast ballots locally, a record for a midterm primary, according to County Clerk Teneshia Hudspeth. Harris County election officials said late Tuesday the election was “good” but not flawless, despite challenges created by the GOP opting out of sharing equipment and poll workers with the Democratic Party.
Other Notable Victories and Runoffs
The primaries are over but the junk mail and text message campaigns aren’t likely to stop any time soon as several runoffs are slated for May 26, and those who won the primary outright are already gearing up for November.
Republican U.S. Congressman Chip Roy and state Sen. Mayes Middleton are headed to a runoff in the GOP primary for attorney general. With 91 percent of precincts reporting, it appeared Sen. Nathan Johnson and former Galveston Mayor Joe Jaworski would also face each other in a runoff for the Democratic nomination.
U.S. Congress members Al Green and Christian Menefee will head to a runoff for the District 18 seat. Menefee was elected in late January to fill the post, an unexpired term created by the death of former U.S. Rep. Sylvester Turner in March 2025. Green moved over from the District 9 seat he’s held for decades, the results of a Republican-led redistricting effort.
Menefee earned more votes and won Harris County with 51.46 percent to Green’s 38.19 percent, but didn’t meet the threshold districtwide to avoid a runoff.
“In each stage of this race, voters have put their trust in me, and I don’t take that lightly,” Menefee said in a statement. “I am committed to continuing to fight for them in Washington for the long haul. We are building a coalition that can win in May, and we are ready to win this runoff.”
Notably, far-right Republican Steve Toth ousted District 2 U.S. Rep. Dan Crenshaw in the GOP primary amid criticism from Republicans that Crenshaw isn’t as closely aligned with President Donald Trump as he should be.
Energy finance professional Alex Mealer, a former Harris County judge candidate, will face state Rep. Briscoe Cain, R-Deer Park, in a runoff for the U.S. District 9 House race. Mealer has been endorsed by Trump.
Sylvia Garcia, the only Latina woman to represent Houston in Congress, will return to a fourth term in her redrawn District 29 seat after defeating former state Rep. Jarvis Johnson in the Democratic primary.