The BareStory
Voters in Texas and North Carolina cast ballots on Tuesday in the first primary elections of the 2026 midterms. In the Texas Republican Senate primary, incumbent Senator John Cornyn and state Attorney General Ken Paxton advanced to a May runoff after neither candidate secured the 50 percent majority required to win outright. Representative Wesley Hunt conceded the race after finishing in third place.
In the Texas Democratic Senate primary, James Talarico defeated United States Representative Jasmine Crockett and will face the eventual Republican nominee in the general election. During the primary, Crockett's campaign argued she could mobilize new voters, while Talarico's supporters claimed his approach would appeal to moderate voters.
The Texas Republican race featured significant financial spending, with Cornyn and aligned political action committees spending nearly $100 million. Cornyn and the National Republican Senatorial Committee claimed that Paxton's legal issues and past controversies could cost the party the seat in the general election. Paxton dismissed the criticisms, defending his record by pointing to his previous statewide electoral victories and claiming that public opinion polling showed him leading the race.
Voting in Texas experienced logistical disruptions in Dallas County, where Crockett alleged that voters were disenfranchised after local Republican officials required ballots to be cast at specific precincts rather than countywide sites. A county judge extended polling hours in response, and the state Supreme Court mandated that ballots cast during the extension be held separately.
Meanwhile, the North Carolina primary finalized the general election matchup for the seat of retiring Republican Senator Thom Tillis. Former Governor Roy Cooper secured the Democratic nomination and will face Republican nominee Michael Whatley. Beyond the Senate races, the primaries highlighted challenges for several incumbents, including Texas Republican Representative Dan Crenshaw, who lost his primary race by a double-digit margin.
How it may affect me
As a U.S. reader:
• In the short term, the public will experience continued high-volume campaign spending and political messaging as the unresolved Texas Republican Senate race proceeds to a May runoff.
• Voters in areas with disputed election protocols may encounter logistical hurdles, such as strict precinct-specific voting locations or the segregation of ballots due to sudden judicial extensions of polling hours.
• The general election will present voters with contrasting political strategies, as Democrats focus on building coalitions of moderate voters while Republicans navigate internal shifts prioritizing populist candidates over established figures.
• The final outcomes of these North Carolina and Texas races will impact the long-term legislative direction of the country, potentially altering the balance of the Senate to either preserve conservative continuity or advance broad social reforms.
• Citizens may see fewer traditional incumbents on their ballots if the trend of unseating established representatives, as seen in the primary defeats of current officeholders, continues to spread.
