Texans voted Tuesday in Democratic and Republican primary elections that determine who gets to carry the party standard in November’s general election. Here’s a rundown of what happened in key races in Austin, Travis County, Williamson County, and statewide.
U.S. President
Former U.S. Vice President Joe Biden won the Texas Democratic primary with about 32.9% of the vote. U.S. Senator Bernie Sanders was hot on his heels with 29.8%. That means Biden and Sanders will split the lion’s share of delegates for the Democratic Party Convention.
Former Mayor Mike Bloomberg got 15.2%, just above the 15% minimum threshold for a candidate to pick up statewide delegates. Massachusetts Senator Elizabeth Warren fell short with 11.5%, though she fared better in Travis County with 22.1% of the vote.
That means Warren could still walk away with some delegates, because Texas Democrats award 79 delegates on a statewide basis but 149 on a geographic basis. Sanders also outperformed Biden in Travis County with 37.3% compared to 23.5%.
Donald Trump won the Republican primary with more than 95% of votes.
U.S. Senator
In the GOP primary, incumbent Senator John Cornyn avoided a runoff by beating four challengers handily with more than 70% of the vote. That strengthens Cornyn’s position heading into a tough November contest against a yet to be determined Democratic opponent.
On the Democratic side, twelve contenders split the vote. MJ Hegar, the preferred candidate of the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee, led the race with 22.7% of the vote. In a runoff, she’ll face state Senator Royce West, who took 14.5% of the vote, narrowly beating out Cristina Tzintzún Ramirez (13.2%), a candidate backed by U.S. Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and other leaders in the progressive wing of the Democratic party.
U.S. House District 31
Round Rock, Georgetown, and Leander fall within this district, which is held by longtime Republican incumbent John Carter. He nearly lost the seat in 2018, which enticed six Democrats to enter the race this year. The top two finishers, Donna Imam and Christine Eady Mann, will head to a runoff.
Travis County Attorney
This open race to replace retiring County Attorney David Escamilla became a battleground among progressive Democrats for whom criminal justice reform, de-policing, and marijuana legalization are important issues. Republicans will not be contesting the position in November.
City Council Member Delia Garza, who had the most endorsements from local party leaders and elected officials, faced questions during the campaign about her lack of trial court experience. Laurie Eiserloh, who currently works in the county attorney’s office, leads in early tallies. The race looks likely to go to a runoff between Garza and Eiserloh.
Travis County District Attorney
This race is a contest to become the chief prosecutor in Travis County, responsible for deciding which felony cases to prosecute. Incumbent Margaret Moore trailed Democratic Socialists-endorsed challenger José Garza by about 5,000 votes, 41% compared to 44.4%, but led her other opponent Erin Martinson by a comfortable margin. Moore and Garza will go to a runoff.
State Representative District 47 – Western Travis County
West Austin featured one of the few competitive Republican legislative primaries. Four GOP candidates battled to challenge incumbent Democrat Vikki Goodwin. Results are still incomplete, but the frontrunner is Jennifer Fleck (32%), who campaigned in opposition to Austin public schools’ new sex education curriculum. In a runoff, she’ll face either APD Officer Justin Berry or former City Council Member Don Zimmerman. They each finished with 22.8% of the vote and are separated by only one vote, an outcome that could change, according to the Texas Secretary of State’s website as of Wednesday morning.
State Representative – District 2
Unlike previous recent primary years, this year’s GOP races featured fewer Tea Party challengers and less money from Empower Texans, a conservative group. But one race east of Dallas drew two challengers to the right of the incumbent, Rep. Dan Flynn.
Flynn finished well ahead of Dwayne “Doc” Collins, founder and chairman of the Edom Tea Party. But he’ll face a runoff against Bryan Slaton, a businessman and former Baptist minister who has the financial backing of Empower Texans Chairman Tim Dunn.
State Board of Education, District 5
GOP candidate Robert Morrow won the most votes in a three-way race, which will head to a runoff. Morrow is known for wearing a jester’s hat, making lewd statements, and carrying a “Trump is a Child Rapist” sign. The Travis County GOP had warned primary voters not to support Morrow. County GOP Chair Matt Mackowiak, reacting to news that Morrow had made it to the May 26 runoff, said, “We will crush him on May 26 or I will light myself on fire.”
State Representative District 45 – Buda, Kyle, San Marcos
In this district representing Hays and Blanco counties, three Republicans vied to challenge incumbent Democrat Erin Zwiener. Carrie Isaac, whose husband formerly held the seat, finished neck-and-neck with Kent “Bud” Wymore, an attorney and the Hays County GOP’s general counsel. She had 8,236 votes (47.9%) to Wymore’s 7,119 (41.4%).
Isaac’s win to advance to a runoff comes in spite of critical media coverage over her husband’s use of $21,000 of campaign expenses for an Austin apartment adjacent to his kids’ private school, as well as questionable spending by a charity that Carrie Isaac heads.
State Senate District 27 – Rio Grand Valley
One of the most conservative Democrats in the Texas Legislature, Senator Eddie Lucio, faced a three-way primary challenge. Lucio narrowly avoided a runoff but fell short by just 137 votes of 61,970 cast.
The race is something of a referendum on whether a pro-life Democrat is still welcome within the party. Lucio, who has served more than three decades in the Texas Senate, declined to participate in a Planned Parenthood candidate forum in January.
Travis County Commissioner, Precinct 3
Five Democrats ran for a seat on the county commissioners court, which passes policies and a budget for the county government. The winner is likely to replace the only remaining Republican on the County Commissioners Court, Gerald Daugherty, who is retiring.
Frontrunner Ann Howard, the former head of the Ending Community Homelessness Coalition, nearly won a majority with 48% of the vote. She’ll go to a runoff against former state Rep. Valinda Bolton, who got 30%. Both Howard and Bolton ran on a platform of improving mass transit.
200th Civil District Court
Many of the judicial races in Travis County were uncontested. But two candidates faced off in a tough Democratic primary to become judge of the 200th Civil District Court, which handles commercial disputes, divorce cases, land title cases, election contests, and other civil matters.
Jessica Mangrum, the more experienced lawyer, won narrowly over her opponent Maggie Ellis. She’ll face no opponent in November because the incumbent Republican, Judge Dustin Howell, is not running for another term.
Texas Primary Propositions
Primary propositions are like an opinion poll of voters. They have no real effect, but they can potentially influence the future decisions of officeholders or party leaders.
Of the ten GOP propositions, all passed overwhelmingly, though some had more support than others. 95% of Texas Republicans said that “Texas should ban the practice of taxpayer-funded lobbying, which allows your tax dollars to be spent on lobbyists who work against the taxpayer.” That’s a proposal that has divided GOP legislators and failed to pass the Texas House last year.
95% of Texas Republicans said that “Texas should ban chemical castration, puberty blockers, cross-sex hormones, and genital mutilation surgery on all minor children for transition purposes, given that Texas children as young as three (3) are being transitioned from their biological sex to the opposite sex.”
