"With epic turnout, Democrats narrowly nominated state legislator James Talarico over his opponent U.S. Representative Jasmine Crockett - two rising stars who gave their party fresh hope for turning the state blue. With epic spending by the embattled incumbent, Republicans sent Senator John Cornyn and Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton to a late May runoff."
"Talarico handily won the Hispanic vote that was thought to be up for grabs, and that was the ball game. Crockett Country began and ended in East Texas and the urban core of voters in Dallas and Houston, and it her highly motivated base wasn't enough."
"In the end, Crockett's late start (she only announced in December) appears to have kept her from building a statewide get-out-the-vote operation. Talarico was able to achieve a funding advantage and even compete with Crockett's social media fame thanks to a viral interview by Stephen Colbert."
Texas's 2026 election season opened with highly competitive primaries featuring record turnout. Democrat James Talarico narrowly won the Senate primary over U.S. Representative Jasmine Crockett, securing victory through strong Hispanic voter support despite Crockett's advantages in Black voter turnout and urban areas. Talarico's early announcement and statewide organization proved decisive against Crockett's late December entry. On the Republican side, incumbent Senator John Cornyn and Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton failed to secure majority support despite $70 million spent on Cornyn's behalf, forcing a late May runoff with Wesley Hunt also competing. Democrats face a relatively unified general election campaign, while Republicans confront a potentially contentious nomination battle in a state where they haven't lost statewide elections since 1994.
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