Primary Election Preview
Election Day for our Texas primary is officially one week away. And while this Super Tuesday is tracking to have a lower voter turnout than four years ago, there are still several intriguing races in the state up and down the ballot. Here are some that we are following:
Who Is Going To Challenge Ted Cruz?
While Ted Cruz ultimately won re-election by just over 219,000 votes six years ago, the results were close. Now that six years have passed, Cruz has remained unliked even amongst Republican colleagues. He also had a very infamous trip to Cancun memorialized in meme after meme during the 2021 Freeze. This November, Cruz will face off against one of several Democrats who have tossed their hats into the race. Those include Congressman Colin Allred, State Senator Roland Gutierrez, and State Representative Carl Sherman (among many others). Allred has raised by far the most money and has been running ads for several weeks touting his bipartisan credentials, past life in the NFL, and commitment to supporting abortion rights. Can he win against spirited primary opponents and avoid a runoff?
Will Harris County Get A New District Attorney?
The latest polling from this race shows challenger Sean Teare beating current Harris County District Attorney Kim Ogg by a nearly three-to-one margin. Ogg is competing for a third term and has found herself alienated from several colleagues in Houston over criminal justice reform. Teare is touting his endorsements from prominent Democrats in Harris County including County Judge Lina Hidalgo, Commissioner Rodney Ellis, and the former mayor Sylvester Turner.
Who Is Going To Represent TX-32?
With Colin Allred tossing his hat into the Senate primary, north Texas Democrats found themselves with an open congressional seat (that is safely blue). With ten Democrats running in the primary, a runoff is likely. The two likeliest to make that cut include State Representative Julie Johnson and Dr. Brian Williams, a trauma surgeon who has the backing of several gun safety organizations.
Will Rep. Shawn Thierry Survive A Primary Challenge?
In the last legislative session, Houston State Representative Thierry drew the ire of progressives for voting for three anti-LGBTQ bills. Thierry doubled down on her votes and drew two challengers for her seat in the Democratic primary. Lauren Ashely Simmons has accrued the most endorsements in her challenger campaign and has a robust fundraising apparatus. Simmons is also fundraising after an incident that occurred during an editorial meeting with The Houston Chronicle when she was speaking about her endorsements from current members of the Texas House and Thierry responded by allegedly saying “the gay ones.”
How Much Is A Ken Paxton Endorsement Worth?
Ever since he survived his Senate impeachment, Attorney General Ken Paxton has been on a warpath trying to unseat members of his own party who went against him, including current Speaker Dade Phelan. Paxton’s revenge tour also includes supporting the primary challengers for three Republican judges on the Criminal Court of Appeals. Perhaps the biggest test of whether or not Paxton can summon fellow Republicans to oust members that betrayed him over supporting his removal from office will occur in Collin County (his home turf) with three challengers receiving the Attorney General’s backing.
