Democrats, women candidates score big in Texas primaries

North Texans cast their ballots Tuesday – Texas is the first in the nation to hold a primary contest for the 2018 election cycle.

Democratic numbers exceeded totals not seen since 1994, when the party was beginning its slide into the political wilderness in a state that had for decades been a Democratic stronghold.

During early voting in the primaries, a theme developed around what was happening in Texas. For all that cold water for Democrats statewide in Texas, at the same time there is this silver lining for them – turnout in the three Republican House districts they hope to flip was on par or outpaced that of Republicans.

Texas has a runoff primary system, meaning that if any candidate fails to win a majority of the votes, the top two will face a runoff election on May 22.

Still, what looms over this year’s gubernatorial race is the big-name Democrats who didn’t run – including twin brothers Rep. Joaquin Castro and former Housing and Urban Development Secretary Julian Castro.

The results of these primaries demonstrate clearly that the Democratic establishment needs to rethink their strategy if they want to capitalize on the potential energy of backlash to President TrumpDonald John TrumpAccuser says Trump should be afraid of the truth Woman behind pro-Trump Facebook page denies being influenced by Russians Shulkin says he has White House approval to root out “subversion” at VA MORE.

“I hope that our political environment changes”.

A line of mostly students wait to vote at a Texas primary election polling site on the University of Texas campus, Tuesday, March 6, 2018, in Austin, Texas. “So I’m looking to vote for people who are positive who care about all”. That was thought to be the highest number of female candidates in U.S. House primaries in Texas before this year. Lamb is expected to run in the 17th district, which under the new map is more favorable for Democrats.

The rise in Democratic turnout might be attributed to the several contested congressional races where the minority party hoped to flip districts that Hillary Clinton won in 2016 but are now held by Republicans. Take the race to fill the seat left open by Republican Rep. Joe Barton of Texas, who announced he wouldn’t seek re-election after illicit images he’d sent a woman years ago leaked. Bush was endorsed by President Donald Trump and his son, Donald Jr.

“He has guts. He’s not afraid”.

WFAA spoke to Judge Clay Jenkins who said his team is monitoring things at the County Election’s Office. However, what’s encouraging for liberals is that more Democrats voted in the Texas primaries than in any comparable race since 2002.

More than 1,036,950 voters cast ballots for the U.S. Senate race in Tuesday’s Democratic primary, the party’s highest midterm primary election total in at least 24 years.

“What these organizations should not be doing is doing negative attacks on Democratic candidates”, said Sanders. Will Hurd in a district stretching hundreds of miles from San Antonio to El Paso. No Democrat has won a race for either since.

“If conservatives are complacent – we know that the Left is going to show up”, Cruz warned on the “Hugh Hewitt” radio show Tuesday. But continuing positive trends for the Democrats are the success of diverse candidates and candidates who aren’t career politicians raking in millions of dollars.

Incumbent Daniel Burkeen received 636 votes, or 21.36 percent, and Michelle LaTray got 384 votes or 12.90 percent. “And unlike anything I remember”. Bush has been backed by Trump, but a loss would mean that no one from his family’s political dynasty would be in elected office.

Former Dallas County Sheriff Lupe Valdez will meet Houston investor Andrew White in the runoff for the Democratic nomination for governor. Patterson came in second with around 30 percent of the vote, with Davey Edwards and Rick Range coming in third and fourth place, respectively.

Since the 2016 election, the Democratic Legislative Campaign Committee has been aggressively working with state candidates across the country.