Narda Serna/THE RIDER
Cameron County and Hidalgo County voters made their choices on the ballot for candidates they want to see in the upcoming November elections, with most leaning toward incumbents in the primary.
Official results for the Texas U.S. Senate primaries showed incumbent John Cornyn (Republican) garnered 6,292 votes in Cameron County and 8,746 votes in Hidalgo County. Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton obtained 4,692 votes in Cameron County and 7,363 votes in Hidalgo County. With no candidate obtaining more than 50% of the votes, a runoff election will take place May 26 between Cornyn and Paxton.
State Rep. James Talarico (Democrat) led the U.S. Senate Democratic primary race, collecting 20,336 votes in Cameron County and 41,081 in Hidalgo County. His closest contender U.S. Rep. Jasmine Crockett obtained 11,079 votes in Cameron County and 18,746 votes in Hidalgo County.
In the race for Texas governor, incumbent Greg Abbott (Republican) garnered 12,347 votes in Cameron County and 15,290 votes in Hidalgo County. Abbott will face state Rep. Gina Hinojosa (Democrat), who collected 23,176 votes in Cameron County and 41,608 votes in Hidalgo County.
Mark Kaswan, a UTRGV political science professor, said one of the most notable outcomes from Tuesday’s primaries was higher Democratic turnout compared with Republicans statewide.
“More Democrats voted in the primaries than Republicans,” Kaswan said. “That’s the first time that’s happened since 2004.”
Although the election was only a primary, he said the turnout could signal stronger Democratic engagement heading into the general election.
According to the Texas Secretary of State elections website, there was a cumulative of 1,647,213 Democratic in-person and mail voters and 1,481,787 Republican voters in Texas. In Cameron County, there was a cumulative of 34,345 Democratic voters and 14,108 Republican voters. In Hidalgo County, there were 65,446 Democratic voters and 15,504 Republican voters.
Kaswan said the results could also shape one of the most closely watched races in the country this year: the U.S. Senate contest in Texas. The race is expected to draw significant national attention and funding from both parties.
“Whoever the Republican and Democratic nominees are for the senate in November, this is going to be one of the biggest races in the country,” he said.
Kaswan added that competitive statewide races can influence other elections further down the ballot.
“If there’s a really tight senate race, that could have downstream impacts boosting Democrats for other offices,” the professor said.
Texas’ 34th congressional district
Incumbent Vicente Gonzalez (Democrat) led with 19,984 votes, while Eric Flores led in the Republican ballot with 7,137 votes.
Ten Republican candidates ran: Flores, Mayra Flores, Luis Buentello, Scott Mandel, Fred Hinojosa, Keith Allen, Gregory Scott Kunkle Jr. and Jay Nagy.
Aarykah Navarro/ THE RIDER
During his speech at his watch party, Eric Flores thanked his family and supporters present.
“Thank you guys for holding the line with me,” he said. “Thank you for your trust; thank you for your hope. And my promise to you tonight is to never let you all down.”
Flores also thanked the president for trusting him.
“Thank you for placing your trust in me,” he said. “… As I stood on the stage with President Donald J. Trump on [Feb. 27], I made it very clear as to what I would be taking to D.C.: leadership that is focused and determined on delivering results.”
Flores promised the residents to stay grounded, listen and deliver for the South of Texas.
Two candidates ran in the Democratic primary: Gonzalez and Etienne Rosas, who garnered 12,112 votes..
Etienne Rosas (right), who ran in the Democratic primary for Texas’ 34th congressional district, speaks with Lauren Castillo, a Cameron County resident, during his watch party Tuesday at the Pluton Brewery Company, located at 805 E. Elizabeth St. in Brownsville.
Mariajose Garza/THE RIDER
Mariajose Garza/THE RIDER
Texas’ 15th congressional district
Tuesday night’s results showed incumbent Monica De La Cruz, who ran uncontested, led the Republican ballot, while Democrats selected their nominee.
Aarykah Navarro/ THE RIDER
Tejano singer Bobby Pulido led with 27,845 votes against Dr. Ada Cuellar, who garnered 14,353 votes. Pulido will face De La Cruz in the general election.
Pulido said, during his watch party in Pharr, his victory is not the end of his journey.
“[It] is the beginning of everything,” he said. “The people of South Texas have spoken, and I’m honored to accept your nomination to be your next Democratic congressman.”
He added he respects Cuellar and wishes her well on all future endeavors and hopes his supporters join him in beating De La Cruz in November.
Pulido said he believes the region still lacks a clear political identity.
“I think that’s been the biggest issue,” he said. “Nobody’s really defined what it is to be a South Texas Democrat, and I look forward to doing that.”
Ethan Taylor Maldonado/THE RIDER
De La Cruz posted a news release on Facebook Tuesday following the Democratic primary results in the district.
She criticized national Democratic spending in the race and contrasted her record with that of the now-Democratic nominee Pulido.
“I want to congratulate Dr. Ada Cuellar for the race she ran,” De La Cruz wrote. “She was cheated by an establishment that spent over a million dollars to push her aside.”
She added she plans to contrast her record in Congress with that of her opponent during her campaign leading to the general election.
“South Texas is my home,” De La Cruz wrote. “I’m raising my kids here. I feel many of the same pressures local families face — and I show up for them every single day.”
–Sofía Cantú Sauceda contributed to this report.
