On a March night in Texas, a state representative with a seminarian's habit of quoting scripture won the Democratic nomination for the U.S. Senate over a congresswoman who had built her name on fierce confrontation, a contest that tests whether a state that has not sent a Democrat statewide in three decades can be imagined differently. The victory sits inside a deeper American story about money, faith, and the uneasy inheritance of a party's old loyalties, and its meaning will not be settled until November. Meanwhile, the Republican side has been pushed into a runoff that reveals the strain be
Talarico Wins Texas Democratic Senate Nomination as GOP Runoff Between Cornyn and Paxton Looms
No Democrat has won statewide in Texas in over 30 years
Mark
Talarico won, but the Republican side isn't settled. Why does that matter so much?
Mimi
Because his opponent changes the whole race. Cornyn is the establishment pick with at least $64 million in TV spending behind him. Paxton is the MAGA favorite, and Senate GOP leaders worry he'd be costly to defend.
Luke
That worry is the leaders' view, though. The reporting doesn't show Paxton would actually lose in November.
Mark
And Trump hasn't endorsed either one?
Mimi
Right. All three Republicans ran on their Trump ties, and now Cornyn and Paxton will compete for his backing before May 26.
Luke
Worth saying that an endorsement possibly being decisive is an expectation, not a fact.
Mark
What about the Dallas voting trouble?
Mimi
Polls stayed open late in Dallas and Williamson counties after voters said they were turned away because of new primary rules. The state Supreme Court then said ballots from people not in line by 7 p.m. should be separated.
Luke
And nobody knew yet how that would be carried out or how many ballots were affected. Crockett said people were disenfranchised and planned to sue, but that's her claim, and no lawsuit outcome exists yet.
Mark
So Talarico's win is clear, but the dispute isn't over?
Mimi
The race was called, but Crockett's legal challenge is still ahead.
Le Pouls
- Talarico beat Crockett in an expensive, bitterly fought Democratic primary, and Democrats are now dreaming of flipping a Texas seat that has not gone their way statewide in over thirty years.
- Dallas and Harris County polls stayed open past closing time as voters were turned away and rerouted to other precincts, and Crockett is preparing a lawsuit over ballots that may never be counted.
- Cornyn skipped his own election night party to denounce Paxton as a flawed and shameless candidate, while Paxton tells crowds that Texas is not for sale.
- Republicans must settle their fight in a May 26 runoff, and a word from Trump could tip the balance toward whichever man he chooses to embrace.
On a March night in Texas, a state representative with a seminarian's habit of quoting scripture won the Democratic nomination for the U.S. Senate over a congresswoman who had built her name on fierce confrontation, a contest that tests whether a state that has not sent a Democrat statewide in three decades can be imagined differently. The victory sits inside a deeper American story about money, faith, and the uneasy inheritance of a party's old loyalties, and its meaning will not be settled until November. Meanwhile, the Republican side has been pushed into a runoff that reveals the strain between an establishment senator and a combative challenger, both straining for a blessing from a president who has not yet chosen. And underneath it all runs a quieter question about whether every eligible voter was allowed to be heard on a night when the clock ran out in long lines.
State Rep. James Talarico won the Democratic Senate nomination in Texas on Tuesday night, defeating Congresswoman Jasmine Crockett in a long and expensive primary. The win gives Democrats a fresh hope of an upset in a state no Democrat has carried statewide in more than thirty years. "We're about to take back Texas," Talarico told the crowd in Austin, insisting he was trying to change politics itself.
The night was not clean. Polls stayed open late in Dallas and Williamson counties after voters said they had been turned away and sent to other precincts under new primary rules. The state Supreme Court ruled that ballots cast by people still in line after 7 p.m. must be kept separate, but it was unclear how that would work or how many eligible votes might go uncounted in Crockett's home county. Crockett's campaign said she will sue, and she warned that people had been disenfranchised.
On the Republican side, Sen. John Cornyn and Ken Paxton are headed to a May 26 runoff. Cornyn, seeking a fifth term, skipped his election night party and called Paxton a dead weight for the ticket. Paxton, who only began campaigning in earnest recently, told supporters in Dallas that Texas is not for sale. Both are now courting Trump, who has not endorsed, and his choice could decide the race.
The primaries unfolded on new maps drawn to favor Republicans, and several contests produced upsets and bitter rematches across the state. The next date that matters is May 26, and until then, Crockett's legal challenge over Dallas voting is the thread to watch.
State Rep. James Talarico won the Democratic nomination for U.S. Senate in Texas on Tuesday night, beating Congresswoman Jasmine Crockett in an expensive and bitterly contested primary. The result gives Democrats another reason to imagine an upset in a state where no Democrat has won statewide in more than 30 years. "We're about to take back Texas," Talarico said in a statement after his victory. Before the race was called, he told supporters in Austin: "We are trying to fundamentally change our politics. And it's working."
His opponent in November remains undecided. Republicans are headed to a May 26 runoff between Sen. John Cornyn, who is seeking a fifth term, and state Attorney General Ken Paxton, the MAGA favorite. Congressman Wesley Hunt finished a distant third and conceded, but his presence in the race made it harder for anyone to reach the 50% needed to avoid a runoff. All three candidates ran on their ties to President Donald Trump, who did not endorse. Cornyn and Paxton will now compete for his favor, and an endorsement could decide the race.
Cornyn was in enough trouble that he skipped an election night party and spoke to reporters in Austin instead. 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." Cornyn hopes to avoid becoming the first Republican senator in Texas history to seek reelection and fail to be renominated. His cool relationship with Trump is part of what made him vulnerable. He and allied groups have spent at least $64 million on television advertising alone since July to steady his support.
Paxton, speaking to supporters in Dallas, said he felt the way he had on a recent trip to Mar-a-Lago, Trump's Florida estate. "We proved something they'll never understand in Washington," he said. "Texas is not for sale." He began campaigning in earnest only last month, and has drawn national attention for lawsuits against Democratic initiatives. He remains popular in Texas despite a 2023 impeachment trial on corruption charges, which ended in acquittal, and accusations of marital infidelity by his wife. Senate Republican leaders, who back Cornyn, worry that Paxton's liabilities would make the seat harder to defend and force spending that could go elsewhere.
The Democratic contest was marred by voting problems. Polls stayed open longer in Dallas County and in Williamson County, outside Austin, after voters said they were turned away and sent to different precincts because of new primary rules. Paxton's office challenged the extension, and the state Supreme Court ruled that ballots cast by people not in line by 7 p.m. should be separated from the others. It was not immediately clear how that would be carried out, or how many eligible ballots remained uncounted in Dallas County, Crockett's home base. In Harris County, which includes Houston, a spokesperson said that as of 10 p.m. voters were still waiting at 20 centers. Crockett's campaign said she planned to sue, and she warned briefly on Tuesday night that "people have been disenfranchised."
The two Democrats each argued they would be the stronger general election candidate in a state Trump carried by almost 14 points in 2024. Crockett built a national profile on sharp attacks against Republicans and focused on turning out Black voters in the Dallas and Houston areas. Talarico, a seminarian who often cites the Bible, held rallies statewide, including in heavily Republican areas. He outspent her on television by more than four to one as of late February, and got a burst of attention and donations last month when CBS did not air his interview with Stephen Colbert, who said the network pulled it for fear of angering Trump's FCC. Dallas voter Tanu Sani chose Talarico because he "really spoke to me in the way he tries to unify." Tomas Sanchez, a Dallas County voter, backed Crockett because "she cares about immigrants."
The primaries also played out on new congressional maps that Republican lawmakers, urged on by Trump, redrew to elect more Republicans. Rep. Dan Crenshaw lost to state Rep. Steve Toth, who was endorsed by Sen. Ted Cruz. Eric Flores, a Trump-endorsed lawyer, beat former Rep. Mayra Flores for the right to face Democrat Rep. Vicente Gonzalez. Rep. Tony Gonzales, who faced questions over an alleged affair with a staffer who killed herself, heads to a runoff against gun manufacturer and YouTuber Brandon Herrera in a district that includes Uvalde. Former baseball star Mark Teixeira won the Republican nomination to succeed Rep. Chip Roy, who is in an attorney general runoff with Mayes Middleton. Latin Grammy winner Bobby Pulido won the Democratic nomination to face Rep. Monica De La Cruz. Gov. Greg Abbott won easily and will face state Rep. Gina Hinojosa. In Houston, Rep. Al Green, 78, ran against Rep. Christian Menefee, 37, in a redrawn district, while in suburban Dallas, Rep. Julie Johnson faced former Rep. Colin Allred.
The next date is May 26, when Cornyn and Paxton settle their fight, and Crockett's promised legal challenge over Dallas voting is the thing to watch in the meantime.
Citations marquantes
We're about to take back Texas.— James Talarico, after his primary victory
Texas is not for sale.— Ken Paxton, speaking to supporters in Dallas
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