Early turnout in Texas Democratic primary outpaces GOP as Election Day kicks off

Early turnout in the Texas Democratic primary outpaced the state’s GOP race as voters headed to the polls Tuesday, a signal of intense focus on the state’s marquee Senate race. 

Roughly 1.4 million voters cast ballots in the Democratic primary during early voting, which ended Friday, according to unofficial data from the Texas Secretary of State’s office. VoteHub data puts that number at more than 1.5 million, more than double the number cast in the 2022 gubernatorial midterms. 

Across the aisle, roughly 1.2 million voted early in the Republican primary, according to the secretary’s office.

In 2018, when Democrats came close to flipping another Senate seat, roughly 1.1 million turned out total in the party’s primary, compared to 1.5 million in the GOP race. 

Texas is kicking off the midterm cycle with its primaries on Tuesday, in which incumbent Sen. Jon Cornyn (R) is in the toughest fight of his political career. 

He faces a GOP primary challenge from state Attorney General Ken Paxton (R) and Rep. Wesley Hunt (R-Texas), a competitive contest that’s expected to stretch into a May runoff after Tuesday’s Election Day. 

On the Democratic side, Rep. Jasmine Crockett (D-Texas) and state Rep. James Talarico (D) are jostling for their party nod as Democrats grow bullish about their chances in the longtime red stronghold. 

The primary momentum comes on the heels of a string of off-year and special election wins for Democrats across the country, including in Texas — where the GOP got a wake-up call last month when a Democrat flipped a deep red state Senate seat.  

Other Lone Star State races are also in the Tuesday spotlight: Democratic Reps. Al Green and Christian Menefee are battling in the 18th Congressional District, and Republican Rep. Tony Gonzales is trying to hang onto his seat amid controversy on Capitol Hill.

And with Paxton leaving his attorney general seat to run for Senate, Rep. Chip Roy (R-Texas) and state Sen. Mayes Middleton (R) are in the GOP primary to replace him. 

The Democratic turnout in this year’s primaries’ is a “code red alert for Texas Republicans,” pollster Ross Hunt said in a Sunday memo shared with The Hill, signaling Republicans “will need to do everything right this fall.”

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