Tuesday’s primary in Texas set the stage for a high-profile general election for the governor’s office between incumbent Republican Gregg Abbott and former Democratic congressman Beto O’Rourke.
O’Rourke captured over 90% of the Democratic vote, while Abbott won two-thirds of GOP ballots.
In the Republican contest for the Attorney General nomination, no candidate captured 50% of the vote. The top two finishers, incumbent Ken Paxton and Texas Land Commissioner George P. Bush, will head to a runoff in May.
The Paxton-Bush showdown is something of a proxy war between the Republican establishment and the Make America Great Again movement. Paxton, who spoke at the rally that preceded the Capitol riot, received the endorsement of former President Donald Trump. Bush has also engaged in the type of culture war wrangling favored by MAGA diehards, but his powerful last name closely associates him with mainstream Republicans, like his uncle, former President George W. Bush.
The Associated Press reports:
While Paxton won more votes than Bush on Tuesday, his failure to win outright could raise questions about the power of Trump’s endorsement as he seeks to reshape the party in his image in other primaries later this year.
Bloomberg explains:
The winner of the May 24 runoff will face a yet-to-be-determined Democratic opponent Nov. 8. A Democrat hasn’t been elected to statewide office in Texas since 1994.
Bush focused his campaign on the ethics scandals dogging the incumbent, including a six-year-old securities-fraud indictment and claims of misconduct from former top lieutenants who say Paxton abused his power to help out a political donor.
The outlet adds:
Paxton has denied wrongdoing and said the accusations are politically motivated. His campaign sought to highlight his close relationship with Trump and his frequent lawsuits against big tech, including Alphabet Inc., as well as attempts to fight the Biden administration over issues including mask mandates and immigration policies. Paxton has also staked out far-right positions on hot-button social issues in Texas, recently asserting that gender-affirming medical procedures for transgender youth may be child abuse.
Rep. Henry Cuellar, one of the most conservative Democrats in the House, will also head to a runoff. Progressive upstart Jessica Cisneros trailed him by just under two percentage points in Tuesday’s contest.
Two other progressive Congressional candidates, Greg Casar and Jasmine Crockett, seem poised to cruise to general election victories in their heavily Democratic districts.
The New York Times writes:
Together, Mr. Casar, Ms. Cisneros and Ms. Crockett would bring new energy to the liberal wing of the House and to “the Squad” of progressive Democrats. Last month, Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez of New York came to Texas to campaign for Mr. Casar and Ms. Cisneros.
