Browsing: election

For the Texas Senate seats, Republican Sen. John Cornyn is in a primary runoff against Republican Attorney General Ken Paxton on May 26. Cornyn led the March 3 primary 43% to 41%, but neither cleared the majority threshold. Trump has not endorsed either candidate. Democrats have not won statewide in Texas since 1994. Democratic state Rep. James Talarico won his party’s nomination over Rep. Jasmine Crockett. A March Impact Research poll showed Talarico leading Cornyn 43% to 41% and Paxton 44% to 43% among likely voters.

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.

Behind the scenes of Texas politics, statewide officials oversee the state’s finances, agriculture industry, energy regulation and highest criminal court. As the March 3 Republican primary approaches, voters face decisions in several contested races that will shape how Texas governs for years to come.

Early voting turnout for the 2026 Texas primary elections has surged to levels never before seen in a midterm cycle, with statewide total turnout on pace to more than double the figures recorded during the 2022 primaries.

Texas Democrats gathered in Waco on Saturday at the Performing Arts Community Center for a McLennan County Democratic Party candidate forum ahead of the March 3 primary. The group was optimistic about state races following decades of Republican dominance, focusing on public education, healthcare access and affordability.

Campaign season for Baylor’s next student body president kicked off Wednesday, with three experienced juniors vying for the title. These three candidates have each had extensive experience in different areas of student government, making for a close presidential race.

Despite the hope of the Democratic Party, the Republican Party gained a lead and ran with the House Tuesday night. Though votes are still being counted, the GOP currently has a 17 seat lead. Despite this, the majority might still be up in the air with the GOP currently only holding one seat from the Democrats.

Political polarization in America has gone beyond debates and ballot boxes, driving wedges between loved ones and turning neighbors into adversaries. As ideological divides deepen and tensions escalate, can we find a way to reclaim civil discourse, or are we destined to live in a nation where division and distrust define us?

“If America can stand up and say that we want to get back to where America is strong, militarily respected, [with a] strong border, we defend freedom and we defend personal rights, that’s just a revolution yet again, and I’m excited to see it happen,” Holland said.

Money and debate chops weren’t enough to unseat Cruz. Bradford Holland, the immediate past chair of the McLennan County Republican Party, said the win means that Texans held fast against “outside-of-Texas money” and have shown the state to be “solidly red.”

“We don’t need to worry about what’s going to happen to our democracy, because the end of all things is the reign of God over all people and over this land,” Baksa said. “That’s what we have to look forward to — not the victory of one candidate or another.”