The closely watched Texas Democratic Senate primary race saw drama unfold at the voting booth, with James Talarico putting up a good fight against Representative Jasmine Crockett.
Three states begin 2026 midterm elections with primaries
Voters in Texas, Arkansas and North Carolina will head to the polls to decide the Republican and Democratic candidates for November’s congressional elections.
Surprise and anxiety dominated the night after millions of Americans turned out to vote on March 3 for the high-stakes 2026 midterm elections, a referendum on President Donald Trump’s return to power.
Voters in three states – Arkansas, North Carolina and Texas – made their voices heard, but much of the national attention focused on the Lone Star State’s U.S. Senate Republican and Democratic primaries, which cost a total of about $110 million, breaking campaign spending records.
But the November race between Rep. Jasmine Crockett and state Rep. James Tallarico, fought more over style and electability than over modest policy differences, was muddled by election rules and court orders that spread confusion on the Democratic side.
“I’m not going back tonight because I have no idea when the results are going to be out and I fully expect it to be tomorrow,” Crockett told supporters at his campaign event late Tuesday night.
The contest served as a test for Democrats on how best to take on Mr. Trump and appeal to unsettled voters.
But Republicans have had their share of skirmishes, primarily in Texas, where longtime Sen. John Cornyn faces a major challenge from more right-wing insurgents and Rep. Dan Crenshaw (R-Texas), once seen as a rising star in the Republican Party, lost a crushing primary to a newcomer.
Here are key takeaways from the March 3 primary.
Election rules and court orders disrupt Crockett vs. Talarico showdown
About 1.4 million voters cast their ballots in the Democratic primary contest between Crockett, known for his passionate criticism of the Republican Party, and Talarico, who has a populist message.
Early results show Talarico is performing well in Hispanic neighborhoods. Tararusio held a lead with just 51% of votes counted, according to the Associated Press, but predictions for the race were upended by reports that voters in two key counties, including Crockett’s hometown of Dallas, were being denied access to polling places.
Local voters have long been allowed to vote anywhere in the county, but Republicans in Dallas and Williamson counties have opted to change the rules for the 2026 primary, requiring them to vote only in their assigned precincts.
The judge ordered the voting period to be extended by two hours at the request of both Democratic candidates. But the Texas Supreme Court ruled that Dallas County ballots cast after the original polls had to be separated from other ballots, per an order from state Attorney General Ken Paxton.
It remains unclear when those votes will be counted, if at all, or if they will affect the outcome, but Crockett declared that the disruption means there will be no results on election night.
“Unfortunately, this is what the Republicans want to do, so they specifically targeted Dallas County, and I think we all know why,” she said.
A spokesperson for her campaign told The Associated Press that she plans to file a lawsuit alleging disenfranchisement.
Cornyn and Paxton head to an even worse runoff on May 26th
The Republican Party waged a bitter primary for Mr. Cornyn’s career, as he tried hard to fend off two MAGA-related challengers, Rep. Wesley Hunt and scandal-plagued state Attorney General Ken Paxton.
As polls predicted, neither Cornyn nor Paxton received enough votes to pass the 50% threshold needed to avoid a runoff, so their messy contest will continue until a rematch on May 26th.
The 74-year-old incumbent defeated both rivals with support from Senate Republican leadership. Trump specifically refused to endorse anyone in the race. The attacks on Paxton focused on his bribery allegations and marital drama.
“Judgment Day is coming for Ken Paxton,” Cornyn’s camp said in a March 3 post on the X show.
Paxton is considered a MAGA darling, highlighting his lawsuit against the Biden administration and his support for Trump. He also demonstrated an uncanny ability to survive an onslaught of political scandals.
What happens next depends largely on Mr. Trump, who will receive heavy lobbying from top Senate leaders and former campaign advisers, but “now is the time to put Texas to bed for the Senate majority,” a Republican operative close to Cornyn’s campaign told USA TODAY.
Crenshaw follows suit in shocking upset of Texas Republican Party
There was a time when Rep. Dan Crenshaw (R-Texas) was thought to be the face of a new conservative movement after speaking at the 2020 Republican National Convention.
A veteran of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, he wears his trademark eyepatch after being wounded in combat and receiving national media attention.
He has championed causes on the political right, such as banning federal funding for gender-affirming care, while also receiving praise from the National Rifle Association.
But Mr. Crenshaw’s support for aid to Ukraine, certification of the 2020 election results and support for a bipartisan immigration enforcement agreement during the Biden administration frustrated Mr. Trump. As of 2026, he was the only incumbent Republican member of the House of Representatives in Texas not to be endorsed by the president.
Crenshaw has attracted multiple primary challengers, including state Rep. Steve Toth, backed by Sen. Ted Cruz, in a newly redistricted district that covers largely new territory.
With 62% of the votes counted, Toth led Crenshaw 58% to 39% and declared victory, even though news outlets had not yet announced the results.
Age referendum in newly defined Texas district?
The age of America’s elected officials in 2024 became a major sticking point for Democrats, given the persistent questions about then-President Joe Biden and the fact that about 6 in 10 Americans told pollsters that President Trump’s age was a concern.
This generational divide will be one of the key features of the 2026 Democratic primary, as a swarm of younger candidates seeks to unseat veteran conservatives.
One of the first races in which the issue came to light was the Texas primary between U.S. Rep. Al Green, 79, and Rep.-elect Christian Menefee, 37, in the state’s newly drawn 18th Congressional District, orchestrated as part of President Trump’s massive redistricting war.
With about 70% of precincts reporting, Ms. Menefee holds a roughly 4-point lead over Ms. Greene, who is known for disrupting the past two State of the Union protests, potentially signaling to voters that a new generation of Democrats is ready to take over.
North Carolina Senate race takes shape
Senate Democrats remain bullish on their chances of taking back the Senate this year, but they will need a near-perfect performance in November to do so.
North Carolina State is part of that equation given its toss-up situation. Trump will win the battleground state by about 3 percentage points in 2024, and a vacant Senate seat will be created thanks to retiring Republican Thom Tillis’ reelection bid.
Democrats successfully fielded former Gov. Roy Cooper, a moderate who was first elected in 2016 and served two terms, with a strong victory on Tuesday. He will face former Republican National Chairman Michael Whatley, an ally of President Trump, in the year’s most important and likely expensive Senate race.
“If (Cooper) is elected governor, he probably has a chance to be elected to the Senate,” said Linda Ekman, 73, a retired doctor who voted in Handersville, North Carolina.
But this will be an uphill climb for Democrats, given that the current 53-47 Republican majority requires them to flip not only North Carolina but also Alaska, Maine, and Ohio while preserving seats in Georgia and Michigan.
Contributor: Katherine Palmer
