"That's partly why the U.S. Supreme Court rushed last week to resolve the legal dispute over the Republicans' Texas-gerrymandering push, giving Donald Trump a big boost by letting a map favoring the GOP go into effect. Now there's been another Texas-elections bombshell, with Democrat Colin Allred announcing that he will not run in the race that could determine whether Democrats flip the U.S. Senate."
"Texas Republicans appear headed to a fractious and insanely expensive three-way Senate primary involving incumbent Senator John Cornyn, MAGA favorite and state attorney general Ken Paxton, and U.S. representative Wesley Hunt. Democrats have had their own primary drama, with 2024 Senate nominee Colin Allred, 2018 Senate and 2022 gubernatorial nominee Beto O'Rourke, 2025 media star James Talarico, and national grassroots-progressive favorite and U.S. representative Jasmine Crockett all plotting bids at some point."
"In recent weeks, O'Rourke has been backing away from a Senate primary he would likely lose. And today an even bigger domino fell when Allred announced he would drop his Senate candidacy and instead run for a newly created Democratic-leaning U.S. House seat. Crockett will announce her own 2026 plans later on Monday after aggressively encouraging speculation over her intentions."
Texas's early March 3 primary triggered candidate filings today, accelerating 2026 campaign timelines. The U.S. Supreme Court allowed a Republican-favoring map to go into effect, strengthening GOP prospects. Colin Allred announced he will not run for the U.S. Senate and will instead run for a newly created Democratic-leaning House seat. Texas Republicans are heading toward a costly three-way Senate primary among John Cornyn, Ken Paxton, and Wesley Hunt. Democrats now face a likely Jasmine Crockett–James Talarico primary after Beto O'Rourke retreats. Texas requires runoffs for non-majority primary winners, shaping potential late-May Republican runoffs and earlier Democratic consolidation.
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