Republican and Democrat voters in Texas are heading to the polls today to cast their vote in the first hotly contested primaries of the 2026 election.
Read below for a quote from the NRSC and background on what to expect and watch for tonight as results come in:
- Ken Paxton says he can win outright, but if he doesn’t it will only strengthen concerns about his electability and the threat he poses to President Trump’s Senate Majority.
- Wesley Hunt is also going to come up short, and this race will go to a runoff. Multiple head to head polls last year showed John Cornyn ahead of Paxton, and we believe he will claim the lead again to win this runoff.
- NRSC polling continues to show John Cornyn is the strongest Republican candidate and the only candidate that guarantees Texas stays in President Trump’s Senate Majority. Cornyn defeats James Talarico or Jasmine Crockett, and allows Republicans to focus on fighting for President Trump’s House and Senate majorities in true battleground states.
The last thing to watch tonight is the Democrats’ messy primary. By forcing Colin Allred out of the race, the NRSC has positioned our eventual nominee to face off against either of the two most radical candidates Texas Democrats have ever put forward. Whether it’s Jasmine Crockett’s comparing ICE to slave patrols or Mr. James “Welcome Mat On Our Border” Talarico, the attack ads against both Democrat candidates write themselves.
If you’re reporting on today’s races, feel free to use the following statement from the NRSC:
“Texas remains a critical part of President Trump’s Senate Majority,” said NRSC Communications Director Joanna Rodriguez. “It doesn’t matter which radical Democrat makes it out of their messy primary tonight: James Talarico and Jasmine Crockett are both too radical for Texas and must be defeated in November.”
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