On a March night in Texas, a long and bruising Democratic contest ended with State Rep. James Talarico defeating Congresswoman Jasmine Crockett for the Senate nomination, giving his party a candidate in a state where Democrats have not won statewide for more than three decades. The victory came with a refusal to concede in the usual way, as Crockett pointed to voting failures in her home county that she believes shut people out of the ballot. Across the aisle, Republicans must wait until May 26, when Sen. John Cornyn and Ken Paxton face each other in a runoff that will test whether a party's e
Talarico Wins Texas Democratic Senate Nomination as Cornyn and Paxton Head to May Runoff
Some Dallas-area voters reported being turned away and redirected to different precincts due to new primary rules.
Cornyn skipped an election night party; Paxton declared, "Texas is not for sale."
Mark
Talarico won. Why is this race getting so much attention?
Mimi
Because Texas hasn't elected a Democrat statewide in over 30 years, and the party sees a chance at an upset. Talarico said, "We're about to take back Texas."
Mark
And Crockett's response?
Mimi
Brief. She warned that people have been disenfranchised, and her campaign said it plans to sue over Dallas County voting problems.
Luke
Worth being careful there. The reporting says voters said they were turned away and redirected because of new rules. It doesn't say how many, or whether it affected the outcome.
Mark
So the scale is unknown?
Luke
Yes. Even the number of uncounted eligible ballots in Dallas County wasn't clear, given the Supreme Court's order to separate late ballots.
Mark
What about the Republican runoff?
Mimi
Cornyn and Paxton go to May 26. Cornyn and allies spent at least $64 million on TV since July, and still couldn't avoid it.
Luke
And Trump hasn't endorsed. Anything about how he'll move is speculation. The source only says both will court him.
Mark
Cornyn called Paxton a dead weight on the ticket.
Luke
That's Cornyn's argument, not a finding. Senate GOP leaders share the worry, but it's a prediction.
Le Pouls
- Talarico's win over Crockett closed a bitter primary, but Crockett has refused a conventional concession and signaled a lawsuit.
- Voters in Dallas and Williamson counties were turned away and redirected to other precincts under new primary rules, and a court ruling left uncertain how many eligible ballots would be counted.
- Harris County still had voters waiting at 20 centers as of 10 p.m., deepening the sense of disorder on election night.
- Cornyn and Paxton head to a May 26 runoff with no Trump endorsement, and Cornyn warns that Paxton would be a dead weight at the top of the ticket.
- Cornyn has spent at least $64 million on TV ads since July, and the runoff's outcome now hinges on whether Trump chooses a side.
On a March night in Texas, a long and bruising Democratic contest ended with State Rep. James Talarico defeating Congresswoman Jasmine Crockett for the Senate nomination, giving his party a candidate in a state where Democrats have not won statewide for more than three decades. The victory came with a refusal to concede in the usual way, as Crockett pointed to voting failures in her home county that she believes shut people out of the ballot. Across the aisle, Republicans must wait until May 26, when Sen. John Cornyn and Ken Paxton face each other in a runoff that will test whether a party's establishment can still hold against its own restless base. It is a moment where a state's old assumptions about who can win are being quietly tested by the people who show up to vote.
State Rep. James Talarico beat Congresswoman Jasmine Crockett in Texas' Democratic Senate primary on Tuesday night, ending a costly and bitter contest and giving Democrats a nominee in a state they have not won statewide in more than 30 years. Speaking in Austin, Talarico said the goal was to fundamentally change politics, and declared that the work was already happening.
Crockett did not concede in any conventional way. Her campaign said she planned to sue over voting problems in Dallas County, her home base, where new primary rules left voters turned away and sent to other precincts. Voting hours were extended in Dallas and Williamson counties, a move Paxton's office challenged, and the state Supreme Court ruled that ballots cast by people still in line after 7 p.m. must be kept separate. It remains unclear how that will work or how many eligible ballots are at stake. In Harris County, voters were still waiting at 20 centers as of 10 p.m.
The two Democrats offered different styles. Crockett built a national following with sharp attacks on Republicans and focused on turning out Black voters. Talarico, a seminarian who often cites the Bible, rallied across the state, including in heavily Republican areas, and outspent her on television more than four to one.
On the Republican side, no one cleared 50%, so Sen. John Cornyn and Attorney General Ken Paxton will meet on May 26. Cornyn, seeking a fifth term, is fighting to avoid becoming the first Texas senator to be denied renomination after seeking reelection. Neither candidate has Trump's endorsement, and both are now competing for his favor. Two things to watch: whether Trump weighs in before the runoff, and whether Crockett follows through on her lawsuit.
State Rep. James Talarico beat Congresswoman Jasmine Crockett in Texas' Democratic Senate primary on Tuesday night, ending an expensive and bitter contest and giving Democrats a nominee in a state where no member of their party has won statewide in more than 30 years. Speaking to supporters in Austin before the race was called, a jubilant Talarico said the aim was to fundamentally change politics, and added that it was working. In a statement after his victory he said, "We're about to take back Texas."
Crockett did not concede in any conventional way. Her campaign said she planned to sue over voting problems in Dallas County, her home base, and she spoke only briefly that night to warn that people had been disenfranchised. The trouble came from new primary rules. Voters in Dallas County and in Williamson County, outside Austin, reported being turned away and sent to different precincts, and voting hours were extended in both. Paxton's office then challenged the extension, and the state Supreme Court ruled that ballots cast by people not in line by 7 p.m. should be kept separate from the rest. It was not immediately clear how that would be carried out or how many eligible ballots remained uncounted in Dallas County. In Harris County, which includes Houston, a spokesperson said that as of 10 p.m. voters were still at 20 centers.
The two Democrats offered contrasting styles. Crockett built a national profile with sharp attacks on Republicans and focused on turning out Black voters in the Dallas and Houston areas. Talarico, a seminarian who often cites the Bible, held rallies across the state, including in heavily Republican areas. He outspent her on television by more than four to one as of late February, and he drew a burst of attention and donations last month when CBS declined to air his interview with late-night host Stephen Colbert, who said the network pulled it for fear of angering Trump's FCC. Voters split along the lines of those pitches: Dallas voter Tanu Saini chose Talarico because he spoke to her in the way he tries to unify, while Tomas Sanchez of Dallas County backed Crockett because she cares about immigrants and the American people.
On the Republican side, nobody cleared the 50% threshold. Sen. John Cornyn, seeking a fifth term, and state Attorney General Ken Paxton go to a May 26 runoff. U.S. Rep. Wesley Hunt finished a distant third and conceded, though his presence made an outright win harder for anyone. Cornyn hopes to avoid becoming the first Republican senator in Texas history to seek reelection and not be renominated. All three candidates ran on ties to President Donald Trump, who made no endorsement, so Cornyn and Paxton will now compete for his favor.
Cornyn's position was shaky enough that he skipped an election night party and spoke to reporters in Austin. He argued that a Paxton win would leave "a dead weight at the top of the ticket for Republicans," and called Paxton "a flawed, self-centered and shameless candidate." He and allied groups spent at least $64 million on television advertising alone since July. Paxton, who began campaigning in earnest only last month, told supporters in Dallas that he felt as he had on a recent trip to Mar-a-Lago, and declared, "Texas is not for sale." He has drawn national attention for suing over Democratic initiatives and stayed popular despite a 2023 impeachment trial on corruption charges, which ended in acquittal, and accusations of marital infidelity by his wife. Senate GOP leaders back Cornyn and worry that Paxton would be costly to defend in November.
Down the ballot, redrawn congressional maps, pushed by Trump and drawn to favor Republicans, set up several fights. Rep. Dan Crenshaw lost his primary to state Rep. Steve Toth, endorsed by Sen. Ted Cruz. Rep. Tony Gonzales, who faced scrutiny over an alleged affair with a staffer who killed herself, goes to a runoff against gun maker and YouTuber Brandon Herrera in a district that includes Uvalde. Eric Flores, endorsed by Trump, beat former Rep. Mayra Flores for the nomination against Democratic Rep. Vicente Gonzalez. Former baseball star Mark Teixeira won the GOP primary to succeed Rep. Chip Roy, who is in a runoff with Mayes Middleton for attorney general. Latin Grammy winner Bobby Pulido won the Democratic nomination to face Rep. Monica De La Cruz. Gov. Greg Abbott will face state Rep. Gina Hinojosa.
Two things to watch: whether Trump weighs in before May 26, and whether Crockett follows through on her lawsuit over Dallas County.
Citations marquantes
A Paxton win would leave a dead weight at the top of the ticket for Republicans.— Sen. John Cornyn
We're about to take back Texas.— James Talarico
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