US Midterm Primaries: Texas Senate Race Heads to Runoff, Incumbents Face Tough Fights

• Texas Republican Senate primary between Sen John Cornyn and Ken Paxton heads to a May runoff as neither cleared 50%, making it the most expensive Senate primary in history.
• Cornyn led Paxton by 26,000 votes out of 2.1 million counted, with no clear ideological or geographic divide despite the 'establishment vs. insurgent' framing.
• Democratic candidates like James Talarico secured outright victories, leveraging strong support in Austin and rural areas, and among Hispanic populations.
• Rep Jasmine Crockett drew support from urban centers like Houston and Dallas, and East Texas counties with high Black populations.
• New congressional maps in Texas and North Carolina led to increased spending and competition, with Rep Dan Crenshaw losing reelection and others facing runoffs.