By Tolga Sahin | Intern
Texas voters turned out in historic numbers Tuesday, delivering victories for State Rep. James Talarico and forcing a runoff between Attorney General Ken Paxton and incumbent Sen. John Cornyn in the state’s U.S. Senate contest that claimed national attention. The total early-voting turnout of more than 2.5 million marks the highest ever for a midterm primary election. The results also kicked off the 2026 midterm cycle.
This primary was the nation’s first major test of the midterms, with voters choosing governor, U.S. Senate, all 150 Texas House seats, 16 state Senate seats, statewide executive offices and newly redrawn congressional seats Republicans approved at President Trump’s request.
According to the McLennan County website, in McLennan County, out of 157,416 registered voters, 38,716 cast ballots.
U.S. Senate
The U.S. Senate election caught national recognition for both parties. On the Democratic side, Talarico won the majority of the votes after a campaign against Rep. Jasmine Crockett. On the Republican side, the three-way fight among the incumbent Cornyn, Paxton and Rep. Wesley Hunt went into the May 26 runoff. Between Cornyn and Paxton, both got more than 40%. Democrats haven’t won a U.S. Senate seat in Texas since 1988, a streak Talarico hopes to end following the Republican runoff.
Talarico said there is a place for everybody in his campaign at his Waco rally on Feb. 23.
“We won’t beat the politics of division with more division,” Talarico said at the rally. “We won’t win this race by … ridiculing or alienating our neighbors. If you hate politics and you never voted before, you have a place in this campaign.”
Talarico built his margin on a mixture of both urban and rural support, carrying Travis County by 52 points and Hays County by 47. He also ran up wide leads in Hispanic-heavy South Texas, winning Webb County by 33 points and Hidalgo by 37. Crockett ran strongest in the Black-heavy urban cores — Dallas by 21 points, Fort Bend by 25 and Jefferson by 59 — but could not overcome Talarico’s suburban and rural support. With 85% of the vote reported according to the Associated Press, Talarico led with 53.1% to Crockett’s 45.6%. Ahmad Hassan finished with 1.3% statewide.
On the Republican side, with 88% of the vote reported according to the Associated Press, Cornyn finished with 41.9% to Paxton’s 40.8% and Hunt’s 13.4%.
Governor
In the governor’s race, incumbent Greg Abbott won renomination, winning more than 80% of the votes as he seeks his fourth term. State Rep. Gina Hinojosa won outright, earning almost 60% of the vote in a nine-candidate Democratic field.
Hinojosa emphasized the importance of this midterm election at the Waco Democratic Party Forum on Feb. 7.
“I’m asking you to please be all in for these next nine months,” Hinojosa said. “Because we have an opportunity as Texas, to be [the] difference that this country desperately needs, that our state desperately needs.”
Attorney General
The attorney general’s race, which opened after Paxton ran for the Senate seat, went to a Republican runoff, with state Sen. Mayes Middleton and Rep. Chip Roy earning around 40% and 30% of the vote, respectively. On the Democratic side, State Sen. Nathan Johnson received approximately 48% of the votes, followed by attorney and former Galveston mayor Joe Jaworski at around 27% and first-time political candidate Anthony Box at around 25%.
Legislative
In the redrawn U.S. House 18th District, Rep. Christian Menefee held a lead over longtime Rep. Al Green in a generational match forced by redistricting, though the race remained too tight to call outright. In TX-2, state Rep. Steve Toth routed incumbent Dan Crenshaw around 56% to 40% — the night’s biggest upset — after Trump withheld his endorsement. In TX-23, scandal-plagued Rep. Tony Gonzales led gun rights activist and YouTuber Brandon Herrera around 43% to 41% and appeared headed to a May 26 runoff. Veteran Financial Assistance Coordinator Milah Flores led the TX-17 Democratic primary with 42% but fell short of a majority, forcing a May 26 runoff against Waco Attorney Casey Shepard. The winner will face incumbent Pete Sessions this November.
All 150 Texas House seats and 16 state Senate seats were on the ballot. In Senate District 22, covering McLennan County, Rep. David Cook won the Republican primary outright with around 67%, beating Waco’s Jon Gimble’s 24%. At least three state House incumbents lost their seats: Rep. Cecil Bell Jr. fell to Kristen Plaisance in District 3; Lt. Col. Dennis Geesaman unseated Rep. Stan Kitzman in District 85; and Democratic Rep. Chris Turner lost to Grand Prairie City Council member Junior Ezeonu in District 101. In District 56, incumbent Pat Curry defeated Ralph Patterson, 69% to 31%.
County Commissioner
Down the ballot, Jeremy Davis won the Democratic primary for County Commissioner Precinct 2 with 52% over Travis Gibson in a rematch of their 2024 contest. Justice of the Peace incumbent Dianne Hensley — who made national headlines for refusing to marry same-sex couples — held her seat with 58%. All three County Court-at-Law seats were uncontested, with Vikram Deivanayagam, Brad Cates and Pat Atkins advancing.
