The Primary Runoff

On Tuesday May 26, the Texas Primary finally came to an end with the runoff election. For most campaigns, outcomes became clear shortly after the polls closed and early voting results were posted.

Attorney General Ken Paxton jumped to a dramatic lead against incumbent John Cornyn. Last week, Paxton finally garnered an endorsement from Donald Trump, who called him an “America first patriot” and “extremely loyal to me” on his social media channel. About an hour after most polls closed around the state, the Associated Press called the race for Paxton.

In the race for Attorney General, there were runoffs on both the Republican and Democratic sides. For the Democrats, State Senator Nathan Johnson came out with an early lead that held against former Galveston mayor Joe Jaworski. The Republican runoff was tighter, but State Senator Mayes Middleton ultimately emerged victorious against Congressman Chip Roy.

In the Democratic runoff for Lieutenant Governor, State Rep. Vicki Goodwin prevailed against labor leader Marcos Vélez. She will face incumbent Dan Patrick in November. 

There were also several high-profile Congressional runoffs, including intra-member fights between Democrats in Houston and Dallas. In Houston, Rep. Christian Menefee defeated current member Al Green, who was redistricted out of his seat last year. Menefee released a statement thanking Houstonians, and honoring the legacy of Al Green, who he called “an icon.” In Green’s former district, Alex Mealer, who previously ran for Harris County Judge, defeated Republican State Senator Briscoe Cain in a closely watched Republican runoff.

In Dallas, in a redrawn #TX33 district, current member of Congress Julie Johnson lost to former member Colin Allred. Addressing supporters last night, Allred offered a message of hope, even in “a time where everything seems dark and you feel like you see progress going backwards.”

Another race, political observers were tracking was in a redrawn #TX35. Johnny Garcia handily defeated Maureen Galindo, who faced accusations of antisemitism. Ahead of the election, Rep. Greg Casar (who previously represented the district), endorsed Garcia.

In Harris County, results were near neck and neck between Letitia Plummer and Annise Parker in the Democratic runoff on Tuesday night. By Wednesday morning, Plummer, a former Houston City Council member, became the outright winner with just over 51 percent of the vote. In the Republican runoff, Orlando Sanchez defeated Warren Howell with just over 64 percent of the vote.  

Elsewhere in Texas, Bo French declared victory in the Republican runoff for Railroad Commissioner. French, the former Tarrant County GOP Chair who has called for the deportation of 100 million, defeated current Republican incumbent Jim Wright.