Incumbents best party challengers in Texas primaries

Aside from weather delays at the polls and an upset in the lieutenant governor’s race, most of the incumbents won their party nominations in Tuesday’s Texas primaries.

Most of the action was in the Republican Primary, where many of the incumbents had challengers in their own party.

Eight Republicans were on the ballot in the race for U.S. Senator. Incumbent John Cornyn won the spot with 59.44 percent of the votes, earning 778,912 votes of the 1,310,263 total votes cast.

Steve Stockman received 19.13 percent while Dwayne Stovall earned 10.71 percent. Stockman, a representative in the U.S. House, is a conservative activist who had backing from tea party groups.

In the Democratic Party Primary, the candidate for U.S. Senator will be decided in a runoff between David M. Alameel, who received 47.06 percent, and Kesha Rogers, who received 21.72 percent. 

 

Alameel earned 238,599 votes out of 506,976 total votes cast. Rogers earned 110,154 votes out of the total votes. Maxey Marie Scherr earned 17.69 percent, Harry Kim earned 8.93 percent and Michael “Fjet” Fjetland 4.57 percent of the Democratic votes for senator.

Out of four Republican candidates in the governor’s race, current Texas Attorney General Greg Abbott got a whopping 91.50 percent of the votes, earning 1,219,831 votes out of a total of 1,333,010 votes cast in that race.

Abbott will now face Wendy Davis in November, the Democrat who earned 70 percent of her party’s votes. She received 432,025 votes out of 546,480 total votes cast.

Reynaldo “Ray” Madrigal received 20.94 percent of the Democratic votes for governor.

There hasn't been a Democrat governor of Texas in more than 20 years, but the party is hoping the notoriety she gained from her filibuster of an abortion bill last year, is enough to turn the historically red state into blue.

Abbott's campaign reported having nearly $30 million cash on hand last week, while Davis' team reported having $11.3 million.

Perhaps the biggest upset of the March 4 primaries was that incumbent Lt. Gov. David Dewhurst did not win a 50 percent majority. Dewhurst earned only 28.31 percent of the votes, garnering 376,164 votes of the 1,328,655 total votes cast, compared to 41.45 percent earned by challenger state Sen. Dan Patrick, a conservative radio host from Houston. Patrick received 41.45 percent of the vote, or 550,742 votes. Patrick and Dewhurst will face each other in a runoff.

Agriculture Commissioner Todd Staples received 17.76 percent of the votes, while Land Commissioner Jerry Patterson received 12.47 percent.

The winner of the runoff will face state Sen. Leticia Van de Putte , who ran unopposed in the Democratic primary. She earned 100 percent of the 451,176 total votes.

To replace Abbott as Attorney General, three Republicans had their names on the ballot. The lead went Ken Paxton, with 44.44 percent, or 566,561 votes out of 1,273,691 total votes. Dan Branch got 33.49 percent, or 426,561 votes. Barry Smitherman earned 22.06 percent, or 281,050 votes out of 1,273,691 total cast. Since no candidate received more than 50 percent of the votes, Paxton, a state senator favored by the Tea Party, and state Rep. Branch, an established and well-funded candidate.

Democrat Sam Houston will face the winner in November. Houston, an attorney, was unopposed on the Democratic ballot for attorney general, so he received 100 percent of 437,148 total votes. 

 

Republican incumbents on the Texas Supreme Court held onto their positions without the need for a runoff.

Nathan Hecht won the nomination for Chief Justice with 60.48 percent or 707,664 votes out of a total of 1,169,911 votes cast in the race. Challenger Robert Talton got 39.51 percent, or 462,247 votes out of 1,169,911 total votes cast.

William Moody, ran unopposed, so he is the Democratic nominee for chief justice. He received 426,864 votes.

In the unexpired term for Place 6 on the Supreme Court, incumbent Jeff Brown earned 72 percent of the votes, or 820,558 votes out of 1,141,090 votes total. Joe Pool Jr. got 28 percent, or 320,532 votes.

Pool tried to have Brown removed from the ballot, claiming Brown didn't have enough of the required signatures needed to be on the ballot. Pool got help from an attorney linked to the Democratic Party, but in January a state judge ruled against him and Brown remained on the ballot.

The Democrats had an unopposed candidate for the unexpired term in Place 6. Lawrence Edward Meyers received 100 percent of the votes, or 416,393 votes cast.

In the race for Justice Supreme Court, Place 7, incumbent Jeff Boyd had no Republican challenger. He earned 998,124 votes.

In Place 7, Democrats put their votes behind Gina Benavides, who ran unopposed and received 100 percent of 431,010 votes cast.

For Supreme Court Justice Place 8, Phil Johnson, the incumbent, received 64 percent of the votes, or 731,247 votes out of 1,142,090 total votes cast in that race.

Sharon McCally received 36 percent, or 410,843 votes. There was no Democratic challenger.

The election day started with problems in Central Texas as icy weather in Austin delayed the opening of the polls until 11 a.m. Voters in Travis County were allowed to cast their vote after the regular 7 p.m. closing time, but their ballots will be considered provisional. Final results may take several days.