CBS News projects that Texas Rep. James Talarico has won the Democratic U.S. Senate primary, defeating Rep. Jasmine Crockett and securing enough votes to avoid a runoff. Talarico will face the winner of the Republican runoff between Sen. John Cornyn and Attorney General Ken Paxton, set for May 26.
The primary was the costliest in Texas history and highlighted sharp divisions within both parties. Crockett, a former public defender representing parts of the Dallas area, pitched herself as a combative opponent of former President Trump and other Republicans. Talarico, a former middle school teacher and Presbyterian minister-in-training, ran on a message of inclusion and what he calls the “politics of love.”
Democrats have not won a statewide race in Texas since 1994, but the party targeted this seat after Beto O’Rourke narrowed the gap against Sen. Ted Cruz in 2018. Democrats also saw opportunity amid a bruising GOP primary between Cornyn and Paxton. Several high-profile Democrats were mentioned as potential candidates — including O’Rourke, Rep. Joaquin Castro and former Rep. Colin Allred. Allred briefly entered the Senate race last summer but ultimately switched to run in the redrawn House District 33; Talarico launched his campaign in September and Crockett entered after Allred’s shift.
With broad policy agreement between the Democratic contenders, the primary turned into a contest of style and personality. Both ran statewide campaigns and aired aggressive ads against each other. Talarico received national attention in February when an appearance taped for CBS’ The Late Show with Stephen Colbert did not air on the broadcast network following new FCC guidance; Colbert posted the interview on YouTube, and Talarico reported raising about $2.5 million in the 24 hours after the episode drew attention.
Turnout surged: VoteHub reported roughly 1.5 million votes cast during the 11-day early voting period, more than double the total from four years earlier.
Election-day operations were disrupted in Dallas County, where a judge ordered polls to stay open two extra hours amid confusion over new precinct rules. The state Supreme Court put that order on hold and directed that any ballots cast after the usual 7 p.m. CT closing time be segregated; officials have not yet clarified how many late ballots were cast or how they will be counted.
Crockett led decisively in Dallas County and said she did not expect final results the night of the primary because of the local issues, accusing Republicans of targeting the county. Talarico stopped short of an outright victory speech but told supporters he was confident in the coalition they built and criticized the Dallas delays as voter suppression.
The general election opponent will be determined by the GOP runoff between Cornyn and Paxton on May 26.