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      Texas primaries: Greg Abbott to face Beto O’Rourke in governor’s race

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      Texas primaries: Greg Abbott to face Beto O’Rourke in governor’s raceTrump’s endorsement wasn’t enough to prevent incumbent Ken Paxton from being forced into runoff for state attorney general Republican governor Greg Abbott will face Democrat Beto O’Rourke after voters in Texas opened what could be a lengthy, bruising primary season poised to reshape political power from state capitals to Washington.Both easily won their party’s nomination for governor on Tuesday.The GOP primary for state attorney general was more competitive. Donald Trump’s endorsement wasn’t enough to prevent incumbent Ken Paxton from being forced into a May runoff. He’ll face Texas land commissioner George P Bush, the nephew of one president and grandson of another, after neither captured a majority of the votes cast. While Paxton won more votes than Bush on Tuesday, his failure to win outright could raise questions about the power of Trump’s endorsement as he seeks to reshape the party in his image in other primaries later this year.Abbott is now in a commanding position as he seeks a third term, beginning his run with more than $50m and campaigning on a strongly conservative agenda in America’s largest Republican state.That leaves O’Rourke facing an uphill effort to recapture the momentum of his 2018 Senate campaign, when he nearly ousted Ted Cruz.“This group of people, and then some, are going to make me the first Democrat to be governor of the state of Texas since 1994,” O’Rourke told supporters in Fort Worth, where in 2018 he flipped Texas’ largest red county. “This is on us. This is on all of us.”Abbott said, “Republicans sent a message.”“They want to keep Texas on the extraordinary path of opportunity that we have provided over the past eight years,” his campaign said in a statement.Democrats faced challenges of their own. Nine-term US representative Henry Cuellar was trying to avoid becoming the first Democratic member of Congress to lose a primary this year. He will instead head into a runoff against progressive Jessica Cisneros.The primary season, which picks up speed in the summer, determines which candidates from each party advance to the fall campaign. The midterms will ultimately serve as a referendum on the first half of Joe Biden’s administration, which has been dominated by a pandemic that has proven unpredictable, along with rising inflation and a series of foreign policy crises. The GOP, meanwhile, is grappling with its future as many candidates seeking to emerge from primaries, including a sizable number in Texas, tie themselves to Trump and his lie that the 2020 election was stolen.Tuesday marked the state’s first election under its tighter new voting laws that, among other changes muscled through by the GOP-controlled legislature, require mail ballots to include identification – a mandate that counties blamed for thousands of rejected mail ballots even before election day. More than 10,000 mail ballots around Houston alone were flagged for not complying.Technical issues also caused problems in Texas’ largest county: paper jams and paper tears in voting machines would take a couple days to work through while counting continues, said Isabel Longoria, Harris county’s elections administrator.Several voting sites around Houston were also short-staffed, she said, causing tensions in some locations.Associated Press contributed to this storyTopicsTexasGreg AbbottBeto O’RourkeUS politicsRepublicansDemocratsnewsReuse this content More

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      in Elections

      Takeaways From Texas's 2022 Primary Elections

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      Republicans’ turnout swamped Democrats’, while progressives claimed wins in the first elections of the 2022 midterms.For nearly a decade, the refrain from Texas Democrats has been that they are on the verge of making their state competitive, even though no Democrat has won a statewide race since 1994.Tuesday’s primary results illustrated that Democrats still have a long way to go.With more than three-quarters of the votes counted, nearly 800,000 more Republicans than Democrats voted for a candidate for governor — a gap far larger than the one in 2018, the last midterm primary election in Texas.To be sure, Republicans had a more competitive primary than Democrats. Gov. Greg Abbott’s contest against Republican challengers from his right may have been more of a draw than Beto O’Rourke’s glide path to the Democratic nomination. And Democrats will be quick to note that primary turnout is not always a predictor of big turnout in November.Still, Republicans demonstrated they are energized — even when divided between far-right and mainstream factions — and hardly ceding their hold on the state.Abbott’s right turn paid off.Before this year, Mr. Abbott had never faced a competitive Republican primary in his 25-year political career. But in a moment of conservative energy, with Republicans furious about the 2020 election and President Biden’s immigration policies, a field of Republicans bet that Mr. Abbott would be vulnerable to a challenger from his right.Turns out they were wrong.Armed with a $60 million war chest, Mr. Abbott easily dispatched seven Republicans, taking more than two-thirds of the vote. It was a win that was a year in the making. Mr. Abbott has spent much of last year placating the state’s conservative base by passing new restrictions on abortion, easing gun laws and enacting new limits on how Texas schools teach about the history of racism. Days before the primary, Mr. Abbott directed state health agencies to classify medical treatments commonly provided to transgender adolescents as “child abuse.”Mr. Abbott’s record was a striking demonstration of how a primary threat can help the right wing of the Republican Party drive the agenda, even in a state that has been trending toward Democrats.A Guide to the 2022 Midterm ElectionsPrimaries Begin: The Texas primaries officially opened the midterm election season. See the full primary calendar.In the Senate: Democrats have a razor-thin margin that could be upended with a single loss. Here are the four incumbents most at risk.In the House: Republicans and Democrats are seeking to gain an edge through redistricting and gerrymandering.Governors’ Races: Georgia’s contest will be at the center of the political universe, but there are several important races across the country.Key Issues: Inflation, the pandemic, abortion and voting rights are expected to be among this election cycle’s defining topics.In the general election, Mr. Abbott will again be a heavy favorite, this time against Mr. O’Rourke, the Democrat and former congressman who narrowly lost a 2018 race to Senator Ted Cruz and then flopped in the 2020 presidential primary.Mr. Abbott has been said to have presidential ambitions himself, if Mr. Trump does not run again in 2024. The next step on that journey for him will require a decisive victory in November. In a year when Republicans are expected to do well, he will need a show of strength in Texas to make a case he can appeal to voters nationwide.Beto O’Rourke in Fort Worth after winning his primary.LM Otero/Associated PressBeto O’Rourke put up a big number.Four years ago when he ran for the Senate, Mr. O’Rourke took just 61 percent of the 2018 Senate primary vote even though he was running against little-known, poorly funded candidates.Now, after Mr. O’Rourke has become the best-known figure in Texas Democratic politics, he easily dominated a field of four Democratic primary opponents.Mr. O’Rourke took more than 90 percent of the primary vote, carrying nearly all of the 254 counties in Texas after losing 76 of them four years ago.Mr. O’Rourke’s broad win was a reminder that he enters this race as a far different candidate than the plucky underdog who became a national star in 2018. Now running for governor, Mr. O’Rourke has name recognition and the state’s largest fund-raising network, but also baggage from his previous races. His call for government confiscation of some firearms will continue to appear in Republican attacks against him, and he also has to overcome significant G.O.P. advantages in the state.Trump picked (easy) winners.As the first primary contest of 2022, Texas previewed what will be a dominant theme of the primary season: Can Donald J. Trump play kingmaker?Mr. Trump’s record was mixed. The former president endorsed 33 Texas Republicans ahead of their primaries, but virtually all of them were widely expected to win before receiving the Trump seal of approval. As of early Wednesday morning, all of Mr. Trump’s picks for Congress were on pace to win their nominations.But other races raised doubts that Mr. Trump’s approval alone could secure a victory. Attorney General Ken Paxton, who was endorsed by Mr. Trump, and Dawn Buckingham, Mr. Trump’s choice for land commissioner, were both headed to runoffs in May, after failing to get more than 50 percent of the vote.“Big night in Texas!” Mr. Trump said late Tuesday. “All 33 candidates that were Trump endorsed have either won their primary election or are substantially leading in the case of a runoff.”There were also signs that it can be perilous for Republicans to cross Mr. Trump. Representative Van Taylor, a two-term incumbent from the Dallas exurbs who voted to confirm the 2020 election results and for a commission to investigate the Jan. 6 attack on the United States Capitol, was in danger of being forced into a runoff as votes were still being tallied early Wednesday. Mr. Taylor outspent his competitors nearly 10 to 1.That figure may put a scare into Republican incumbents facing more significant tests from Trump-backed challengers in the coming months. Representative Liz Cheney of Wyoming, Senator Lisa Murkowski of Alaska and Republicans who voted for impeachment from Michigan, South Carolina and Washington State are all vulnerable and the subject of Mr. Trump’s obsession.Greg Casar in Austin after winning his primary.Ilana Panich-Linsman for The New York TimesThe Squad may get reinforcements.Progressives frustrated by Mr. Biden’s stalled social policy agenda were looking for a boost in Texas and got one — possibly three.Greg Casar, a former Austin city councilman, won easily Tuesday night and appears poised to come to Washington next year from his safely Democratic district. Another progressive contender, Jessica Cisneros, forced a runoff with Representative Henry Cuellar, a moderate who narrowly defeated her in the 2020 primary but is now under investigation by the F.B.I.Jasmine Crockett, a state lawmaker who was among the ringleaders of Texas Democrats’ flight to Washington to delay new Republican voting laws last summer, has a large lead but appears bound for a runoff in a Dallas-area district. Ms. Crockett was endorsed by Representative Eddie Bernice Johnson, who has represented the district for 35 years. Ms. Crockett leaned into the endorsement: Her campaign slogan was “passing the torch, fueling the fire.”Together, Mr. Casar, Ms. Cisneros and Ms. Crockett would bring new energy to the liberal wing of the House and to “the Squad” of progressive Democrats. Last month, Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez of New York came to Texas to campaign for Mr. Casar and Ms. Cisneros. More

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      in Elections

      Who Won, Who Lost and What Was Too Close to Call in Texas Primaries

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      The Texas primaries on Tuesday officially opened the 2022 midterm election season, and while several important races remained too close to call early Wednesday morning, the contours were becoming clearer. Here is what we know so far.Abbott and O’Rourke are the nominees for governor.Gov. Greg Abbott, the Republican incumbent, and Beto O’Rourke easily won their primaries on Tuesday and will face off in November, with Mr. Abbott seeking a third term as governor and Mr. O’Rourke trying to become the first Democrat to lead Texas in more than 25 years.Mr. Abbott had two ultraconservative challengers in the Republican primary: Allen West, the former chairman of the Texas Republican Party, and Don Huffines, a Dallas businessman. Neither ended up posing a serious threat.Mr. O’Rourke — who was Texas Democrats’ Senate candidate in 2018 but narrowly lost the general election to Senator Ted Cruz, and went on to run unsuccessfully for the Democratic presidential nomination in 2020 — easily secured his party’s nomination.The two-term attorney general was forced into a runoff.Ken Paxton, who is seeking a third term as Texas attorney general, will face a runoff for the Republican nomination against George P. Bush, the commissioner of the Texas General Land Office.A Guide to the 2022 Midterm ElectionsPrimaries Begin: The Texas primaries officially opened the midterm election season. See the full primary calendar.In the Senate: Democrats have a razor-thin margin that could be upended with a single loss. Here are the four incumbents most at risk.In the House: Republicans and Democrats are seeking to gain an edge through redistricting and gerrymandering.Governors’ Races: Georgia’s contest will be at the center of the political universe, but there are several important races across the country.Key Issues: Inflation, the pandemic, abortion and voting rights are expected to be among this election cycle’s defining topics.Among the three Republican incumbents running for major statewide races on Tuesday’s ballot, Mr. Paxton is the only one whose primary fate is still in doubt.On the Democratic side, Rochelle Garza, a former A.C.L.U. lawyer, is also headed for a runoff against an opponent to be determined: either Joe Jaworski, a former mayor of Galveston, or Lee Merritt, a civil rights lawyer.A Democratic runoff is likely in the lieutenant governor’s race.Mike Collier and another Democrat will almost certainly head to a runoff, with no candidate appearing likely to receive a majority of the vote on Tuesday. The winner of the runoff will face Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick, who won the Republican primary by a large margin.Mr. Collier, who was the Democratic nominee for lieutenant governor in 2018 and lost to Mr. Patrick in the general election, led the pack with more than 40 percent of the vote, but that was nowhere near the majority needed to win outright. The second spot in the runoff could go to State Representative Michelle Beckley or to Carla Brailey, a former vice chairwoman of the Texas Democratic Party.A Republican military veteran has the lead in a deep-red House district.Morgan Luttrell, a former Navy SEAL who worked for the Energy Department under President Donald J. Trump, appeared to be on track to win the Republican primary in the 8th Congressional District, a Houston-area G.O.P. stronghold where an incumbent is retiring. As of 1 a.m., he had about 53 percent of the vote — more than double the share of the runner-up, Christian Collins, with the only question being whether Mr. Luttrell would stay above the 50 percent mark to avoid a runoff.Mr. Luttrell and Mr. Collins did not differ much on policy. But Mr. Collins and his supporters — including Senator Ted Cruz of Texas, Representative Marjorie Taylor Greene of Georgia and the campaign arm of the right-wing House Freedom Caucus — sought to frame the race as a contest between the Trump base, to which he laid claim, and the Republican “establishment,” which he accused Mr. Luttrell of representing.In Texas’ last swing district, Republicans made a choice and Democrats were split.Monica de la Cruz, a Trump-endorsed candidate, won the Republican primary in the 15th Congressional District, which stretches some 250 miles from San Antonio to the Mexican border and is the only competitive House seat left in Texas after Republican gerrymandering.The Democratic primary was clearly headed for a runoff, with no candidate breaking even 30 percent, but it was not clear who would advance. Ruben Ramirez, a lawyer and Afghanistan veteran, had a fairly comfortable lead for the first spot as of 1 a.m., but several competitors were within striking distance of the second spot.Cuellar and Cisneros are headed to a runoff.The rematch between Representative Henry Cuellar, one of the most conservative Democrats in Congress, and Jessica Cisneros, a progressive challenger who almost unseated him in 2020, in South Texas’ 28th Congressional District isn’t over yet: The two will face again in a runoff.Ms. Cisneros — who has been endorsed by Senator Bernie Sanders, Senator Elizabeth Warren, Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and other progressive leaders — came within four percentage points of beating Mr. Cuellar in 2020. This year, Mr. Cuellar may have been hurt by an investigation that involved an F.B.I. raid of his house in January, the details of which have not been disclosed.Another progressive candidate, Tannya Benavides, was hovering just under 5 percent of the vote.A democratic socialist won a House primary in Austin.Greg Casar, a progressive Democrat, won decisively in the 35th Congressional District, beating State Representative Eddie Rodriguez. The Austin-based seat is solidly blue and is being vacated by Representative Lloyd Doggett, who chose to run in a neighboring district after lines were redrawn this year.Mr. Casar, a member of the Austin City Council, was backed by Justice Democrats and Ms. Ocasio-Cortez, and his victory speaks to the leftward shift of the Democratic base. He is affiliated with the Democratic Socialists of America, though the group’s Austin chapter withdrew its endorsement last month after he said he supported military aid to Israel. More