Record turnout in 2026 Texas primaries, several runoff races set for May

Republican candidates for Texas Attorney General, Mayes Middleton and Chip Roy, will advance to a runoff, AP projects.

Neither candidate won over 50% of the vote needed to avoid the runoff. The men are vying for the chair Ken Paxton is leaving behind as he runs for U.S. Senate.

Middleton, a member of the Texas Senate, had a commanding lead over Roy, who serves as the U.S. representative for Texas' 21st congressional district.

Grammy-winning Latin music star Bobby Pulido is projected to win the Texas' 15th District in the Democratic primary election.

Pulido will face off against Republican Congresswoman Monica De La Cruz in the November election.

In the Texas Republican Senate Primary, ABC News projects incumbent John Cornyn and Attorney General Ken Paxton will advance to a runoff.

Cornyn, a longtime Senator, and MAGA favorite Ken Paxton are heading to a May runoff in Texas' Republican Senate primary.

U.S. Rep. Wesley Hunt, the third candidate in the race, conceded earlier tonight.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

In an update just after 9 p.m., Harris County Clerk Teneshia Hudspeth said over 700 people were still in line expecting to cast their ballot, over two hours after polls officially closed.

Hudspeth said this primary election is historic, as Harris County voters have broken the record for the highest turnout in a primary election. She previously said she expected over half a million ballots to be cast in this election.

Hudspeth added that this also means the election results will be later than usual.