The 2026 midterm campaign kicked off Tuesday with primaries in Texas, North Carolina and Arkansas. In Texas, Democratic state legislator and former seminarian James Talarico is projected to have defeated Congresswoman Jasmine Crockett in the closely watched Democratic Senate primary. Talarico spoke to supporters in Austin.
James Talarico: “This is a people-powered movement to take on this broken, corrupt political system. This is truly a campaign of, by and for the people.”
Texas Congresswoman Jasmine Crockett decried voting disruptions in Dallas County, where hundreds of voters were reportedly turned away from polls.
Rep. Jasmine Crockett: “But I can tell you now that people have been disenfranchised. The reason that we knew that there were problems is because we were receiving the phone calls and the emails. The polls were supposed to stay open until 9, according to a court order. The Supreme Court, just a few minutes ago, just said, ‘Shut it down.’”
In the Republican Texas Senate primary, Senator John Cornyn and state Attorney General Ken Paxton are heading for a runoff on May 26. Their race is already the most expensive Senate primary in history.
Meanwhile, Republican incumbent Congressman Dan Crenshaw lost his primary to Texas state Representative Steve Toth. Another Republican incumbent congressman, Tony Gonzales, has been forced into a runoff. Reports recently emerged that he had an affair with a staffer who later died by suicide.
In North Carolina, the match-up to replace retiring Republican Senator Thom Tillis is now set. Former Democratic Governor Roy Cooper will face off against Michael Whatley, a former Trump Republican National Committee chairman.
