Texas Holds Primary Elections

The first-in-the-nation primary vote was held on Tuesday, and few surprises were noted.  Sen. John Cornyn (R) – facing seven Republican opponents including Rep. Steve Stockman (R-TX-36) – was successfully re-nominated capturing 59.4 percent of the vote with 99.9 percent of the vote counted at this writing.  Rep. Stockman scored 19.1 percent, and Tea Party favorite Dwyane Stovall posted 10.7 percent.   With Stockman entering late and virtually disappearing on the campaign trail and Stovall raising very little money, what could have become a serious intra-party challenge to the two-term senator fizzled.  Now, Mr. Cornyn looks forward to romping home in the general election. For the Democrats, North Texas dentist David Alameel, a former congressional candidate, fell just short of winning the nomination outright tallying 47.4 percent to Kesha Rogers (D), 21.8 percent.  The two will advance to the May 27 run-off election. On the House side, 12 incumbent members received primary challenges, and 11 won outright.  The only exception is 90-year old Rep. Ralph Hall (R-TX-4).  Mr. Hall will face former U.S. Attorney John Ratcliffe who notched 29 percent of the vote compared to the congressman's 46 percent.  An incumbent being forced to a run-off is never a good sign for that individual, thus Mr. Hall's chances of losing on May 27 are substantial. Of the nine other Republicans experiencing primary competition, six-term Rep. Michael Burgess (R-TX-26) was the strongest vote-getter, tallying 82.6 percent of the GOP primary vote.  The weakest was Rep. Lamar Smith (R-TX-21), who claimed 61.1 percent. Two Democratic members were challenged, both in the Dallas-Ft. Worth region.  Rep. Eddie Bernice Johnson (D-TX-30) easily turned back former state Rep. and Dallas City Councilwoman Barbara Mallory Caraway (D) in a 71-29 percent landslide margin.  In the 33rd Congressional District, freshman Rep. Marc Veasey (D) topped 73 percent of the vote versus wealthy businessman Tom Sanchez (D), who spent well over $1 million of his own money. In the open Republican 36th District, former congressional candidates Brian Babin (finishing first with 33.4 percent) and Ben Streusand (23.3 percent) will advance to the May 27 run-off from a field of twelve candidates. For more information, please contact David Ashinoff at (202) 547-5013 or ashinoffd@agc.org.