Austin: Primary elections Tuesday in the state of Texas ironed out which candidates will be battling it out for seats in both the US Senate and House of Representatives come the midterm elections in November.
According to Anadolu Agency, Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton won the Republican nomination for the US Senate, easily defeating four-term incumbent Sen. John Cornyn 63.9% to 36.1%. This race was notably influenced by US President Donald Trump's backing of Paxton, aiming to replace an incumbent perceived as disloyal to him and the Republican Party. Trump's endorsement played a pivotal role in Paxton's victory, making Cornyn the first Republican senator from Texas to lose the party's nomination for reelection.
Cornyn, who had previously expressed that Trump's era "has passed him by" and initially criticized the border wall plan, stated he would support Paxton in the general election despite his loss. "Tonight we've come up short," Cornyn said. "I've always supported the Republican ticket, and I intend to do so again." Paxton will face Democratic state Rep. James Talarico in November.
In the 9th Congressional District Republican runoff, Alex Mealer decisively defeated Briscoe Cain 68.7% to 31.3%. Meanwhile, in the Texas 35th Congressional District Republican primary runoff, Carlos De La Cruz emerged victorious over state Rep. John Lujan with a 57.7% to 42.3% vote. De La Cruz will compete against Democrat Johnny Garcia in the November midterms, after Garcia secured his runoff win 60.5% to 39.5% against Maureen Galindo.
A unique situation unfolded in the Democratic primary for US House District 18, where two incumbent congressmen faced off due to new redistricting maps. Rep. Christian Dashaun Menefee defeated Rep. Al Green 68.4% to 31.6%. In the Democratic runoff for US House District 33, former US Rep. Colin Allred overcame incumbent US Rep. Julie Johnson 54.7% to 45.3%.
For the Texas Attorney General race, state Sen. Mayes Middleton claimed the Republican nomination, defeating US Rep. Chip Roy 55.4% to 44.6%. Middleton will compete against state Sen. Nathan Johnson, who won the Democratic nomination by defeating former Galveston Mayor Joe Jaworski 59.6% to 40.4%.