On a Tuesday night in Austin, a state lawmaker who often reaches for scripture beat a national firebrand for the chance to challenge a Republican in a state where Democrats have not won statewide in three decades, and the win carries a quiet hope that old assumptions about Texas may be loosening. The same night left the GOP's own succession unsettled, with a veteran senator and a combative attorney general heading toward a late-May runoff while the party's most powerful figure withholds his blessing. Underneath the contests lies a familiar American tension: voters arriving at polls that closed
Talarico Wins Texas Democratic Senate Nomination; Cornyn and Paxton Head to May Runoff
Cornyn hopes to avoid being the first Texas GOP senator not renominated
Mark
Talarico won, but the Republican side is the bigger open question, isn't it?
Mimi
It is. Cornyn and Paxton go to a May 26 runoff, and Cornyn could be the first Texas Republican senator seeking reelection who isn't renominated.
Luke
Worth saying that's a possibility, not a prediction. He's in a runoff, not out.
Mark
Why does Trump's endorsement matter so much here?
Mimi
All three major candidates ran on their ties to him, and he stayed out. Now both finalists will court him openly.
Luke
And we don't know if he'll endorse at all. Nothing in the reporting says he will.
Mark
Cornyn spent at least $64 million on TV. Did that buy him safety?
Mimi
Not outright. He didn't reach 50%, and he skipped an election night party.
Luke
The $64 million includes allied groups, and it's television only. It tells us about effort, not what moved voters.
Mark
What about Crockett's claim of disenfranchisement?
Mimi
Voting was extended in Dallas and Williamson counties after people were turned away over new rules, and the state Supreme Court said late ballots must be separated.
Luke
Right, but how many ballots are in question is unknown. Her statement is a warning and a planned lawsuit, not a finding. Talarico was declared the winner regardless.
Der Puls
- Talarico defeated Crockett in a bruising, expensive Democratic primary, and Democrats are daring to dream of an upset in Texas.
- Cornyn fell short of 50% and must now face Paxton on May 26, with GOP leaders fearing a costly, harder-to-defend nominee.
- Trump has stayed silent, and both Republican hopefuls are racing to win his favor before the runoff.
- Voters in Dallas and Williamson counties were turned away when polls were slow, and the state Supreme Court has ordered late ballots set apart while Crockett prepares to sue.
- The outcome remains open, with courts and county officials now deciding how many ballots will count.
On a Tuesday night in Austin, a state lawmaker who often reaches for scripture beat a national firebrand for the chance to challenge a Republican in a state where Democrats have not won statewide in three decades, and the win carries a quiet hope that old assumptions about Texas may be loosening. The same night left the GOP's own succession unsettled, with a veteran senator and a combative attorney general heading toward a late-May runoff while the party's most powerful figure withholds his blessing. Underneath the contests lies a familiar American tension: voters arriving at polls that closed while they were still in line, and a state's highest court deciding how to honor both the ballot and the clock. Whether the outcome in November vindicates the hope or confirms the old pattern will depend on choices still ahead.
State Rep. James Talarico stood before supporters in Austin on Tuesday night and told them his campaign was trying to "fundamentally change our politics." Within hours he had beaten U.S. Rep. Jasmine Crockett in a costly, bitter Democratic Senate primary, giving his party renewed hope for an upset in November.
On the Republican side, Sen. John Cornyn and state Attorney General Ken Paxton are headed to a May 26 runoff after neither reached 50%. President Trump has not endorsed either man, and Cornyn, who skipped his election night party, warned that Paxton would be "a dead weight" at the top of the ticket. Paxton countered that "Texas is not for sale."
The Democratic contest was a clash of styles: Talarico, a seminarian, campaigned in heavily Republican areas, while Crockett focused on turning out Black voters in Dallas and Houston. Voting itself was disrupted when polls stayed open late in Dallas and Williamson counties after voters said they were sent away. The state Supreme Court ruled that ballots cast after 7 p.m. must be set apart, and it remains unclear how many eligible votes will go uncounted. Crockett's campaign says she plans to sue.
Down the ballot, redrawn districts reshaped several races, and Rep. Dan Crenshaw lost his primary. The coming weeks will show whether Trump picks a side and how the courts and counties resolve the contested Dallas ballots.
State Rep. James Talarico stood before supporters in Austin on Tuesday night, before the race had even been called, and told them his campaign was trying to "fundamentally change our politics." Within hours he had beaten U.S. Rep. Jasmine Crockett in the Texas Democratic Senate primary, a costly and bitter contest that has the party hoping again for an upset in November.
The Republican side is not settled. Sen. John Cornyn, seeking a fifth term, and state Attorney General Ken Paxton, the favorite of the MAGA wing, are headed to a May 26 runoff. U.S. Rep. 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 win outright. All three candidates ran on their ties to President Donald Trump, who has not endorsed. Both Cornyn and Paxton will now compete for his favor. Cornyn hopes to avoid becoming the first Republican senator in Texas history to seek reelection and fail to be renominated.
Cornyn skipped an election night party. Speaking to reporters in Austin, he argued that a Paxton victory would leave "a dead weight at the top of the ticket for Republicans," and called Paxton a "flawed, self-centered and shameless candidate." In Dallas, Paxton told supporters that he felt as he had on a recent trip to Mar-a-Lago, and declared, "Texas is not for sale." Cornyn's cool relationship with Trump is part of what left him vulnerable. He and allied groups have spent at least $64 million on television advertising alone since July to steady his support.
Paxton only began campaigning in earnest last month. He has drawn national headlines for suing over Democratic initiatives, and 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 GOP leaders back Cornyn and worry that Paxton would be harder to defend in November, requiring spending that could go elsewhere.
The Democratic race was a clash of styles. Talarico, a seminarian who often cites the Bible, held rallies across the state, including in heavily Republican areas. Crockett built a national profile with sharp attacks on Republicans and focused on turning out Black voters in the Dallas and Houston areas. Talarico outspent her on television by more than four to one as of late February, and he got a boost in attention and contributions last month when CBS declined to air his interview with late-night host Stephen Colbert. Colbert said the network pulled it for fear of angering Trump's FCC. Dallas voter Tanu Sani said Talarico spoke to her in "the way he tries to unify," while Dallas County voter Tomas Sanchez backed Crockett because "she cares about immigrants." Democrats have not won a Senate seat in Texas since 1988, no Democrat has won statewide in over 30 years, and Trump carried the state by almost 14 points in 2024.
Voting itself was disrupted. Polls stayed open longer in Dallas County and in Williamson County, outside Austin, after voters said they were turned away and sent to other 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 rest. It was unclear 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 voters were still at 20 centers as of 10 p.m. Crockett's campaign said she planned to sue, and she warned briefly that "people have been disenfranchised."
Down the ballot, new district lines drawn by GOP lawmakers at Trump's urging reshaped several contests. Rep. Dan Crenshaw lost his primary to state Rep. Steve Toth, who was endorsed by Sen. Ted Cruz. Rep. Tony Gonzales, weakened by an alleged affair with a staffer who later killed herself, is in a runoff with gun maker and YouTube personality Brandon Herrera in a district that includes Uvalde. Eric Flores, backed by Trump, beat former Rep. Mayra Flores for the right to face Democratic Rep. Vicente Gonzalez. Former baseball star Mark Teixeira won the GOP nomination to succeed Rep. Chip Roy, who is in an attorney general runoff with Mayes Middleton. Latin Grammy winner Bobby Pulido won the Democratic nod to face Rep. Monica De La Cruz. Gov. Greg Abbott will face state Rep. Gina Hinojosa. Still to be settled: the Julie Johnson versus Colin Allred race, and Al Green's contest against Christian Menefee.
Two things to watch now are whether Trump picks a side before May 26, and how the courts and counties resolve the Dallas County ballots Crockett is contesting.
Bemerkenswerte Zitate
We are not just trying to win an election. We are trying to fundamentally change our politics. And it's working.— James Talarico, speaking to supporters in Austin
Texas is not for sale.— Ken Paxton, speaking to supporters in Dallas
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