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

Texas Reps. Christian Menefee and Al Green have advanced to a runoff in a Democratic primary for U.S. House.

Neither candidate won enough of the vote in the Houston-area district to win the nomination outright, forcing a May 26 runoff.

The unusual primary between two sitting Democratic congressmen was the result of redrawn voting maps that President Donald Trump ordered ahead of November's midterm elections. Green, 78, switched to run in the newly redrawn 18th Congressional District after his current district was redrawn to favor Republicans.

Menefee, 37, was sworn in to Congress only a month ago after winning a special election to fill the remaining term of Rep. Sylvester Turner, who died last year. For some Houston voters, Tuesday's primary was their third time casting ballots in a congressional race in four months, sowing confusion.

Green, who was first elected to the U.S. House in 2004, is one of his party's most outspoken Trump critics and filed articles of impeachment during the president's first term.

A rule change for primary voting in two Texas counties led to mass voter confusion that eventually led to a state supreme court ruling, threats of more legal action, and the potential that an untold number of voters could find themselves disenfranchised.

An unknown number of voters in the counties were turned away Tuesday and directed to different precincts after the recent change in how the primary is conducted.

Voters had been allowed to cast their ballots anywhere in their county since 2019. But for Tuesday's primary, the Republican parties in Dallas and Williamson counties opted against countywide voting.

That meant voters could cast ballots only at their assigned precinct, but many weren't aware of the change.

SEE FULL REPORT: Change in primary voting rules leads to confusion in 2 Texas counties as voters are turned away

With nearly 92% of the votes tallied, Jasmine Crockett conceded the Democratic primary in the Texas Senate race to James Talarico.

The congresswoman called on the party to unify behind the state representative, who clinched the nomination overnight.

"Texas is primed to turn blue, and we must remain united because this is bigger than any one person," Crockett said in a statement. "This is about the future of all 30 million Texans and getting America back on track."

Crockett's campaign had previously suggested that she would file a lawsuit over voting challenges in the primary. A spokesperson did not immediately respond to a question about those plans.

Talarico will face the winner of the Republican runoff, either Sen. John Cornyn or state Attorney General Ken Paxton.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

It's a close race for county judge in Montgomery County, with Republican Mark Keough expected to win.

The numbers show Keough has a very slim lead of just 1,500 votes over opponent Wayne Mack.

Meanwhile, in Harris County, Republican Orlando Sanchez leads that race, as does Democrat Annise Parker.

In Fort Bend County, it appears current Judge KP George will lose his seat, coming in last on the Republican ticket. Daniel Wong received 54% of the vote in a crowded race.

On the Democratic ticket, Dexter McCoy has the lead as we start looking ahead to the November midterms.

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