Four takeaways from the first primary election of 2026
Who benefits from this decision?
Texas, North Carolina, and Arkansas led the country as the first states to hold 2026 primaries on Tuesday, with the results showing some tough outcomes for incumbent candidates.
In Texas, the results that trickled in left Sen. John Cornyn (R-TX) set to face a runoff election with state Attorney General Ken Paxton, as neither candidate reached the 50% vote threshold. It’s a scenario the senator had studiously hoped to avoid and could force President Donald Trump into making an endorsement ahead of the May 26 runoff date. On the Democratic side, state Rep. James Talarico locked down the nomination by defeating Rep. Jasmine Crockett (D-TX), after running one of the most closely watched campaigns nationwide. The outcome also marked a blow to former Vice President Kamala Harris’s endorsement powers, as she had backed Crockett in the Senate race.
Texas: Incumbents rocked
Talarico has already become the GOP’s new bogeyman, as the party fights to keep the faith-based progressive from flipping Cornyn’s seat blue.
“Texas’ already-radical Democrat Party nominated the race’s most leftist radical,” former Trump White House official Taylor Budowich told Politico. “Talarico is a far-left liberal. This is still Texas. Good luck!” another GOP operative said.
Rep. Tony Gonzales (R-TX) is facing a runoff election against Brandon Herrera after his campaign reckoned with allegations of sexual impropriety. Gonzales had denied any wrongdoing after he was accused of having an affair with a staffer who later took her life, but had faced calls to step aside from fellow Republicans, including Reps. Chip Roy (R-TX), Brandon Gill (R-TX), and Anna Paulina Luna (R-FL).
Rep. Dan Crenshaw (R-TX) fell from power, facing a crushing primary defeat at the hands of Steve Toth by a margin of 56% to 40%.
Rep. Julie Johnson (D-TX) is headed into a runoff with former Rep. Colin Allred in Texas’s 33rd Congressional District, which is considered safe Democratic territory for the party in the general election. Latin Grammy award-winning Tejano music star Bobby Pulido won the Democratic primary against Ada Cuellar by a wide margin, as he seeks to flip the seat red in the November election. Pulido is set to face an uphill battle in seeking to oust Rep. Monica De La Cruz (R-TX), who secured the GOP’s nomination Tuesday after running unopposed in the primary.
Rep. Al Green (D-TX), 79, appears likely to be headed to another runoff election with Rep. Christian Menefee (D-TX), 37, in …
Who benefits from this decision?
Texas, North Carolina, and Arkansas led the country as the first states to hold 2026 primaries on Tuesday, with the results showing some tough outcomes for incumbent candidates.
In Texas, the results that trickled in left Sen. John Cornyn (R-TX) set to face a runoff election with state Attorney General Ken Paxton, as neither candidate reached the 50% vote threshold. It’s a scenario the senator had studiously hoped to avoid and could force President Donald Trump into making an endorsement ahead of the May 26 runoff date. On the Democratic side, state Rep. James Talarico locked down the nomination by defeating Rep. Jasmine Crockett (D-TX), after running one of the most closely watched campaigns nationwide. The outcome also marked a blow to former Vice President Kamala Harris’s endorsement powers, as she had backed Crockett in the Senate race.
Texas: Incumbents rocked
Talarico has already become the GOP’s new bogeyman, as the party fights to keep the faith-based progressive from flipping Cornyn’s seat blue.
“Texas’ already-radical Democrat Party nominated the race’s most leftist radical,” former Trump White House official Taylor Budowich told Politico. “Talarico is a far-left liberal. This is still Texas. Good luck!” another GOP operative said.
Rep. Tony Gonzales (R-TX) is facing a runoff election against Brandon Herrera after his campaign reckoned with allegations of sexual impropriety. Gonzales had denied any wrongdoing after he was accused of having an affair with a staffer who later took her life, but had faced calls to step aside from fellow Republicans, including Reps. Chip Roy (R-TX), Brandon Gill (R-TX), and Anna Paulina Luna (R-FL).
Rep. Dan Crenshaw (R-TX) fell from power, facing a crushing primary defeat at the hands of Steve Toth by a margin of 56% to 40%.
Rep. Julie Johnson (D-TX) is headed into a runoff with former Rep. Colin Allred in Texas’s 33rd Congressional District, which is considered safe Democratic territory for the party in the general election. Latin Grammy award-winning Tejano music star Bobby Pulido won the Democratic primary against Ada Cuellar by a wide margin, as he seeks to flip the seat red in the November election. Pulido is set to face an uphill battle in seeking to oust Rep. Monica De La Cruz (R-TX), who secured the GOP’s nomination Tuesday after running unopposed in the primary.
Rep. Al Green (D-TX), 79, appears likely to be headed to another runoff election with Rep. Christian Menefee (D-TX), 37, in …
Four takeaways from the first primary election of 2026
Who benefits from this decision?
Texas, North Carolina, and Arkansas led the country as the first states to hold 2026 primaries on Tuesday, with the results showing some tough outcomes for incumbent candidates.
In Texas, the results that trickled in left Sen. John Cornyn (R-TX) set to face a runoff election with state Attorney General Ken Paxton, as neither candidate reached the 50% vote threshold. It’s a scenario the senator had studiously hoped to avoid and could force President Donald Trump into making an endorsement ahead of the May 26 runoff date. On the Democratic side, state Rep. James Talarico locked down the nomination by defeating Rep. Jasmine Crockett (D-TX), after running one of the most closely watched campaigns nationwide. The outcome also marked a blow to former Vice President Kamala Harris’s endorsement powers, as she had backed Crockett in the Senate race.
Texas: Incumbents rocked
Talarico has already become the GOP’s new bogeyman, as the party fights to keep the faith-based progressive from flipping Cornyn’s seat blue.
“Texas’ already-radical Democrat Party nominated the race’s most leftist radical,” former Trump White House official Taylor Budowich told Politico. “Talarico is a far-left liberal. This is still Texas. Good luck!” another GOP operative said.
Rep. Tony Gonzales (R-TX) is facing a runoff election against Brandon Herrera after his campaign reckoned with allegations of sexual impropriety. Gonzales had denied any wrongdoing after he was accused of having an affair with a staffer who later took her life, but had faced calls to step aside from fellow Republicans, including Reps. Chip Roy (R-TX), Brandon Gill (R-TX), and Anna Paulina Luna (R-FL).
Rep. Dan Crenshaw (R-TX) fell from power, facing a crushing primary defeat at the hands of Steve Toth by a margin of 56% to 40%.
Rep. Julie Johnson (D-TX) is headed into a runoff with former Rep. Colin Allred in Texas’s 33rd Congressional District, which is considered safe Democratic territory for the party in the general election. Latin Grammy award-winning Tejano music star Bobby Pulido won the Democratic primary against Ada Cuellar by a wide margin, as he seeks to flip the seat red in the November election. Pulido is set to face an uphill battle in seeking to oust Rep. Monica De La Cruz (R-TX), who secured the GOP’s nomination Tuesday after running unopposed in the primary.
Rep. Al Green (D-TX), 79, appears likely to be headed to another runoff election with Rep. Christian Menefee (D-TX), 37, in …
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