Liputan6.com, Jakarta - Texas primary elections were held on March 3, 2026, marking the start of the race for key seats at the federal, state, and legislative levels.
Voters in Texas participated to determine their respective party's nominees for the upcoming November general election.
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Preliminary results indicate that many races are close, indicating a high likelihood of a runoff, as reported by The New York Times.
Texas rules stipulate that if no candidate secures more than 50% of the vote, the two candidates with the highest vote totals will advance to a runoff scheduled for May 26, 2026.
Tight Race in the US Senate: Republicans and Democrats
The Republican race for the US Senate is a tight race between incumbent Senator John Cornyn and Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton.
With 60% of the vote counted, Cornyn had 42.9% of the vote, while Paxton trailed slightly with 40.5%.
Other data also showed similar numbers, with Cornyn at 42.63% and Paxton at 40.75%, confirming that both would advance to the runoff.
The other candidate in the race, Representative Wesley Hunt, secured 12.93% of the vote.
Senator Cornyn's allies in Washington argued that a personal scandal involving Paxton could leave him vulnerable in the general election, potentially forcing Republicans to invest heavily to retain their traditionally stronghold.
On the Democratic side, the U.S. Senate race was equally fierce between Congresswoman Jasmine Crockett and State Representative James Talarico.
Updated results showed significant fluctuations; at one point, Jasmine Crockett was leading with 51% to 47% of the vote, but in the previous update, James Talarico had a lead of 49% to 48%.
Governor and Lieutenant Governor: Incumbents Lead
As reported by The Texas Tribune, Incumbent Governor Greg Abbott dominated the Republican primary for governor, winning the contest handily.
Abbott secured 82% of the vote with 4% of polling locations and 22% of precincts reporting results, and 82.56% overall.
Both Governor Abbott and Lieutenant Governor Dan Patrick are seeking their fourth terms.
Meanwhile, in the Democratic gubernatorial primary, Gina Hinojosa led with 69% of the vote with some precincts reporting results and 60.12% overall.
Incumbent Lieutenant Governor Dan Patrick also won his party's primary with a significant lead.
Patrick garnered 85% of the vote with 31% of precincts and 6% of polling locations reporting results.
Attorney General and House Races
For the Attorney General position, Republican Mayes Middleton leads with 41% of the vote, followed by Chip Roy in second place with 31%, as reported by CBS News.
Other candidates in the race include Joan Huffman and Aaron Reitz.
Meanwhile, on the Democratic side, Nathan Johnson is the frontrunner for Attorney General with 48% of the vote, followed by Joe Jaworski with 28%.
In TX-18 (Democratic), Representative Christian Menefee faces Representative Al Green. In TX-2 (Republican), Representative Dan Crenshaw faces State Representative Steve Toth.
Other races of interest are in TX-33 (Democratic) between Representatives Julie Johnson and Colin Allred, and in TX-15 (Democratic), where Bobby Pulido and Ada Cuellar are vying for the right to face Representative Monica De La Cruz (R).
In TX-23 (Republican), Representative Tony Gonzales faced Brandon Herrera, and in TX-35 (Republican), there were multiple candidates, with Donald Trump specifically endorsing Carlos De La Cruz.