Linda Yanez
With early votes counted, Linda Yanez has a statewide lead over Susan Criss in the Democratic Primary race for Place 8 on the Texas Supreme Court.
Yanez, a justice on the Texas Court of Appeals-13th District, garnered 242,554 early votes, or 50.80 percent.
Criss, a Galveston County district court judge, earned 234,888 early votes, or 49.19 percent.
However Criss fared better in Southeast Texas.
In Jefferson County she received 58.38 percent with 7,190 early votes. Yanez brought in 5,125 early votes, or 41.62 percent.
Voters in her own Galveston County also favored Criss, who came in with 74.66 percent of early votes cast, or 11,475 votes. Yanez trailed in Galveston County, with 3,894 votes or 25.34 percent.
Early voting statistics for Harris County, where Criss had support from many of the trial lawyers, were not yet reported as of 8:30 p.m.
In the Republican Primary, Jefferson County early voters supported incumbent Steve McKeithen for chief justice of the 9th Court of Appeals. McKeithen received 1,210 early votes, or 55.99 percent. Republican opponent Jay Wright of Conroe received 951 early votes in Jefferson County, or 44.01 percent.
McKeithen also has the lead in statewide early votes, earning 11,398 votes to Wright's 7,585 votes.