Republican Governor Greg Abbott seems well-positioned to win his party’s nomination. He started his campaign with over $50 million, and has taken hard-line positions regarding guns and immigration. Some GOP voters thought he was pushing too far when he defended the nation’s most restrictive abortion law.
Eric Medrano (25), a Houston longshoreman who voted for Don Huffines, one of Abbott’s far right challengers, said, “That’s where Greg Abbott and current Republicans kind of crossed a line.” He said, “I don’t believe (abortion), should be prohibited at such an early stage.”
In the GOP attorney General Primary, incumbent Ken Paxton will be facing multiple challengers. These include Texas Land Commissioner George P. Bush , nephew of one president, and grandson to another and U.S. Rep. Louie Gohmert. Paxton was the leader of a failed lawsuit against 2020 to overturn the election. He has been facing securities fraud charges since then and an FBI investigation into corruption claims. He has generally denied any wrongdoing.
Democrats are facing their own challenges. The former U.S. Rep. Beto is the only candidate for the party’s nomination as governor. However, he faces difficult odds heading into the fall. The nine-term U.S. Rep. Henry Cuellar is meanwhile trying to avoid being the first Democratic member to lose a primary in this year’s election. He is currently facing progressive Jessica Cisneros, and is dealing with the aftermath of an FBI raid at his home. However, he has denied any wrongdoing.
Yet, America’s largest Republican State focuses a lot on the GOP’s rightward lurch.
Texas’ rapid growth, driven by over 4 million residents, has led to a shift away from Republicans in once red suburbs. The GOP countered this with new maps and voting restrictions.
The new requirements led to the rejection of thousands of mail-in ballot applications and actual ballots. Many of these were caused by voters failing to include new mandated identification. This is worrying for local election officials as many will not correct their problems in order to count their votes.
Bruce Sherbert (nonpartisan election administrator in Collin County in Dallas’ northern suburbs) stated that “just common sense will tell” you that there are going to be many people who don’t cure the ballot.
Two major cities experienced isolated delays Tuesday due to technical issues and absent poll workers.
Morning voters in Houston were forced to wait in line for their turn or search for places to vote after the Harris County website that directed them to local voting locations was temporarily shut down. A few Fort Worth Democratic poll workers did not turn up on time, which delayed the opening of some Tarrant County party polling places. A new state law requires that each party has its own setup at the voting sites.
The primary is also a test for Republicans to be more aggressive in courting Hispanic voters — even before the polls closed, they were celebrating.
The Republican turnout rates in the states bordering Mexico were up by a third compared to recent elections. This is the latest warning sign that Democrats are trying to keep the line with Hispanic voters, who voted for former President Donald Trump in 2020.
Texas votes as the country slowly emerges from the worst of a pandemic, which has been raging for almost two years. However, inflation has reached a record-breaking level and there is a growing war in Europe . Many GOP leaders are now questioning the country’s commitment towards basic democratic principles, after lying to Trump that the 2020 election was stolen.
The primaries in Texas won’t be resumed until May in other states. This means that results in other states could be used for months to gauge the political mood of the nation.
Republicans believe that Texas’ primaries in November will be their first step towards retaking Congress. This is a result of President Joe Biden’s low approval ratings. It also points to inflation and anger at the U.S.’s chaotic withdrawal. Forces from Afghanistan.
The GOP is also on the side of history. Except for 2002, which was the anniversary of the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks, the party in control has lost its congressional seats in every midterm election cycle except 2002.
However, the battle for the party’s future has become more intense than ever 20 years ago.
For example, U.S. Rep. Van Taylor from North Texas has been a target of some on the right since he voted for certifying Biden’s electoral win and to establish an independent commission to investigate Capitol Insurrection. Four primary challengers to the Republican face him now, who have refused to accept Biden’s victory and tried to minimize insurrection.
National Democrats believe Trump’s large GOP influence and an economic recovery from the pandemic could help them overcome political precedent. But, the disagreements between the party’s progressive and moderate congressional wings led to the demise of Build Back Better, a broad, Biden-backed spending bill and social program package.
Cisneros, one of three Texas progressives, could win Democratic nominations in House Districts blue enough to guarantee their passage to Congress. Cisneros, a 28-year-old immigration lawyer who supports Medicare for All and is almost toppling Cuellar in Texas’ 2020 primary. Cuellar’s strong brand recognition is still a problem.
Cisneros was endorsed by progressive stalwarts Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders and New York Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez. They campaigned alongside her and Greg Casar, an Austin City Councilmember, who championed $15 minimum wage in cities and is expected to win the Democratic nomination as a representative of Texas’ capital.
Jasmine Crockett, a civil rights lawyer and state lawmaker, has decried “puppets” of the Democratic establishment in Dallas. She is running for the seat being vacated longtime congresswoman Eddie Bernice Johnson who has supported her.
Emily Winnenberg (29), who runs a Dallas-based small business, voted in Democratic primary. She said that abortion and voting rights were her top priorities.
Winnenberg stated that “I am first and foremost extremely concerned about women’s reproductive rights not being taken away” and added that Biden’s popularity means that he has a PR problem and not a logistical one.
She said that she believes he is doing a lot to help Americans. He’s done a great job of getting the country back on track with COVID precautions.
