========================================================================================================
一场激烈的共和党与民主党候选人之间的角逐正在德克萨斯州酝酿，同时阿肯色州和北卡罗来纳州也将举行初选
作者：Paul Steinhauser、Alex Miller福克斯新闻
发布时间：2026年3月3日美国东部时间上午5:00
[](https://www.foxnews.com/politics/texas-senate-primaries-explode-cornyn-warns-paxton-could-cost-gop-majority-democrats-clash-over-race#)关闭
在接受福克斯新闻数字版独家专访时，德克萨斯州共和党参议员约翰·科恩声称州总检察长肯·帕克斯顿“在11月无法当选”。
您现在可以收听福克斯新闻文章了！
收听本文
12分钟
[](https://beyondwords.io/?utm_source=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.foxnews.com&utm_medium=player&utm_campaign=7893)
2026年初选季将于周二拉开帷幕，德克萨斯州、北卡罗来纳州和阿肯色州将举行关键对决，这些竞选结果可能最终决定共和党能否在中期选举中保住众议院和参议院的多数席位。
本周的焦点是：在倾向共和党的德克萨斯州，民主党和共和党的参议院初选火药味十足。
进步派激进分子众议员贾斯敏·克罗基特（Jasmine Crockett）是一位全国知名的政治家，也是总统唐纳德·特朗普的直言不讳的批评者，她将在民主党参议院提名争夺战中对阵冉冉升起的民主党州议员詹姆斯·塔拉利科（James Talarico）。
无论是克罗基特还是塔拉利科，都将试图成为近四十年来首位在德克萨斯州赢得参议院选举的民主党人，因为初选胜者将对阵在长期现任参议员约翰·科恩、德克萨斯州总检察长肯·帕克斯顿和众议员韦斯利·亨特之间激烈的三方共和党初选中胜出的候选人。
视频
科恩的竞选团队及其支持的超级政治行动委员会已花费近1亿美元投放广告，攻击帕克斯顿和亨特，科恩参议员在初选竞选的最后几周指控，如果帕克斯顿成为共和党的候选人，民主党将在大选中拿下该席位。
科恩及其盟友以及参议院共和党人的竞选机构——全国共和党参议院委员会，反复强调过去十年来帕克斯顿遭受的一系列丑闻和法律问题，以及他正在进行的混乱离婚。
特朗普对伊朗的打击震动德克萨斯州参议院初选
“如果我成为候选人，我将帮助特朗普总统确保我们赢得五个新的国会席位，并保住这个参议院席位，并帮助他在其任期的最后两年继续推进他的议程，”科恩在接受福克斯新闻数字版采访时吹嘘道。
他还辩称：“如果民主党获胜，因为我们提名了像总检察长这样有巨大包袱的有缺陷的候选人，那么特朗普议程的最后两年以及我们需要继续选举的所有其他候选人都将受到威胁。”
德克萨斯州总检察长肯·帕克斯顿（共和党参议院候选人）于2026年3月2日在得克萨斯州韦科的竞选活动前夕向支持者发表讲话。（保罗·斯坦豪泽/福克斯新闻）
作为通过起诉奥巴马和拜登政府而引起全国广泛关注的“让美国再次伟大”（MAGA）运动的激进分子，帕克斯顿反驳道，他告诉福克斯新闻数字版，在初选前夕，“我是3-0。我已经赢得了三次全州范围的选举。”
他指出民意调查显示他领先于科恩，帕克斯顿辩称，“当他在初选中失利时，说这些话很容易，因为他没有为得克萨斯州人民服务，他明天就会知道这意味着什么。他最终会输掉。”
“我不能赢得选举的说法是不正确的……没有证据表明他所说的是真的。事实上，证据恰恰相反，”帕克斯顿补充道。
共和党提名争夺战原本是两人之间的较量，直到曾在西点军校毕业、在服役期间驾驶直升机、代表休斯顿郊区坚实共和党选区的众议员亨特去年秋天宣布参选。
2026年3月2日，德克萨斯州休斯顿，共和党参议院候选人众议员韦斯利·亨特在初选前夕接受福克斯新闻数字版采访。（保罗·斯坦豪泽/福克斯新闻）
最后一次公开民意调查显示，帕克斯顿领先于科恩，亨特位居第三。如果周二的初选中没有候选人获得超过50%的选票，排名前两位的候选人将在5月底进行决选。
“我认为无论发生什么，都会有决选，”科恩说。
帕克斯顿在初选前夕对支持者吹嘘道，如果进入决选，他的胜算就更大了。
亨特在初选前夕接受福克斯新闻数字版采访时表示，他“是最有可能赢得初选并赢得大选的候选人，而且我在大选阶段对詹姆斯·塔拉利科或贾斯敏·克罗基特的表现已经超过了肯和约翰两位候选人。这些都是事实。”
并指出科恩及其盟友过去几周针对他的负面广告，亨特说，“他们在得克萨斯州已经花费了数千万美元针对我，这意味着我一定做对了什么，也一定是个威胁。华盛顿不会决定谁将成为得克萨斯州的下一任参议员。得克萨斯州人民会决定，这就是我参加竞选的原因。”
特朗普对共和党仍具有巨大影响力，到目前为止在共和党初选中保持中立。三位曾寻求总统支持的候选人周五都出席了特朗普在德克萨斯州科珀斯克里斯蒂举行的活动。
“他们在进行一场小小的角逐，”特朗普谈到科恩和帕克斯顿时说。“你知道的，对吧？有点意思。这将是一场有趣的竞选，对吧？他们都是好人。”
2026年2月27日，美国总统唐纳德·特朗普在得克萨斯州科珀斯克里斯蒂的Whataburger餐厅与共和党参议员特德·克鲁兹握手。（曼德尔·恩甘/法新社通过盖蒂图片社）
特朗普还称赞了亨特，并表示三位候选人都参与了一场“有趣的选举”。
共和党“草根运动”悄然推动激进分子克罗基特参加参议院竞选
在初选前的最后几周，种族问题成为44岁的克罗基特（民主党众议员，2022年首次当选国会）和36岁的塔拉利科（前中学教师和长老会神学院学生，被认为是民主党冉冉升起的新星）之间对决的关键问题。
克罗基特是黑人，几周前声称，一个与塔拉利科有关联的超级政治行动委员会在一则广告中淡化了她的肤色，并表示这是“赤裸裸的种族主义”。
2025年12月8日，德克萨斯州达拉斯，民主党众议员贾斯敏·克罗基特在宣布参加美国参议院民主党初选后对记者发表讲话。（美联社照片/LM·奥特罗）
克罗基特上月下旬还表示，称她无法在全州范围内当选的批评是“吹响种族歧视的狗哨”，“这是在贬低一位黑人女性”，而她才是“最有资格”的候选人。
塔拉利科于2018年通过翻转奥斯汀东北部及周边郊区的一个红色选区首次当选德克萨斯州众议院议员，他强调自己有能力争取共和党选民的支持。他还质疑克罗基特是否能在大选中展开有竞争力的竞选活动。
塔拉利科是白人，一个月前还被一位网红指控在与她的私下谈话中称前众议员科林·奥尔雷德（Colin Allred）——2026年参议院提名的竞争对手——是“平庸的黑人男性”。
奥尔雷德是2024年民主党参议院候选人，在两年前以8个百分点的差距输给保守派激进分子共和党参议员特德·克鲁兹后，正连续第二次参选。
但奥尔雷德于去年年底科罗基特宣布参选之前结束了他的参议院竞选。奥尔雷德曾是大学橄榄球明星，在NFL打过职业比赛，后来成为民权律师，现在正在竞选他原来的众议院席位。
在TikTok上以用户名@morga_tt闻名的网红摩根·汤普森在社交媒体帖子中指控塔拉利科在与她的私下谈话中说，他“报名参加对抗平庸的黑人男性，而不是强大、聪明的黑人女性”。
2026年3月1日，德克萨斯州圣安东尼奥，民主党参议院候选人德克萨斯州众议员詹姆斯·塔拉利科在竞选集会上与支持者打招呼。（保罗·斯坦豪泽/福克斯新闻）
塔拉利科在一份声明中反驳了汤普森对他们谈话的描述：“在我赞扬克罗基特议员时，我将奥尔雷德议员的竞选方式描述为平庸——但他的一生和服务并不平庸。我绝不会基于种族攻击他。”
奥尔雷德在社交媒体视频中回应道：“詹姆斯，如果你想称赞黑人女性，就直接称赞。别一边称赞一边贬低黑人男性。”
几天后获得奥尔雷德支持的克罗基特在一份声明中表示，这位前国会议员“划清了界限”。
“他明确表示，他不认为对他的攻击指控只是社区中又一天的平常事，更重要的是，他的帖子不是关于他自己的，”她说。“这是一个他决定为所有被以贬低方式针对和议论的人发声的时刻，因为我们的国家仍在分裂。”
尽管塔拉利科在筹款和支出方面大幅领先于克罗基特，但克罗基特是更知名的候选人，部分原因是她在众议院监督委员会的高调职位。
这位代表达拉斯和该市南部周边内城区主要是黑人和西班牙裔社区的两任议员，因在委员会上与共和党人发生冲突而备受关注，其中包括2024年与佐治亚州前众议员玛乔丽·泰勒·格林的冲突，该冲突在网上走红。
她去年还因称德克萨斯州长期担任州长的共和党人格雷格·阿博特“州长风火轮”而成为头条新闻。
尽管阿博特因1984年的一次事故长期坐轮椅，但克罗基特辩称，她的评论指的是他的政策，而不是他的身体状况。
克罗基特在竞选活动中以反对特朗普为核心，她认为民主党需要优先考虑让低倾向选民投票，而不是争取共和党人的支持，以便成为自1988年以来第一位在孤星州赢得参议院选举的民主党人。
“我不确定我们是否能争取到特朗普的所有支持者。这不是我们的目标，”克罗基特在去年12月宣布参选后的一次CNN采访中表示。
德克萨斯州民主党众议员詹姆斯·塔拉利科和德克萨斯州民主党众议员贾斯敏·克罗基特握手。（鲍勃·登特里奇/盖蒂图片社）
塔拉利科公开谈论自己的信仰以及它如何塑造他的进步政策议程，去年通过一系列走红的社交媒体亮相开始受到全国关注。他的TikTok视频获得了数百万次观看，以及他去年7月在乔·罗根的热门播客上的露面也提升了他的知名度。
罗根在采访中暗示塔拉利科应该竞选总统。
一个月后，塔拉利科成为有线电视频道的常客，进行了数十次全国性媒体采访，当时他和德克萨斯州众议院的数十名民主党同事逃离该州数周，以拖延最终由特朗普领导的得克萨斯州重新划分选区的推动，以创建多达五个更倾向共和党的国会席位。
一个月后，也就是去年9月，塔拉利科宣布竞选参议院。
上个月，塔拉利科因在《斯蒂芬·科尔伯特深夜秀》的露面被从广播电视中撤下，转而在YouTube上播出而获得更多全国关注。科尔伯特指责他所在的哥伦比亚广播公司（CBS）以联邦通信委员会（FCC）的规定为由阻止了这次采访。
这场争议似乎提升了塔拉利科的知名度，他的竞选团队表示，在他“被审查”后的24小时内筹集了250万美元资金。
但在初选竞选的最后几天，克罗基特得到了前副总统卡玛拉·哈里斯的支持。这位民主党2024年总统候选人录制了一条自动语音电话，为克罗基特动员选民。
“得克萨斯州有机会选出像贾斯敏·克罗基特这样的斗士进入美国参议院，”哈里斯在电话中说。“贾斯敏有经验和记录来追究唐纳德·特朗普和他的亿万富翁亲信的责任。”
她还获得了说唱歌手Cardi B的支持，后者在Instagram上表示：“如果你想要一个会上去代表你和你的问题的人，请投票给我的妹妹贾斯敏·克罗基特。”
民主党长期以来试图在德克萨斯州赢得全州范围的选举，但都失败了，但今年他们有信心，因为共和党面临严峻的政治形势。
德克萨斯州的三场众议院初选也备受关注。
陷入困境的共和党众议员托尼·冈萨雷斯面临着严峻的初选挑战，此前他被指控与一名自杀的前工作人员有染，引发了政治风波。
2025年8月14日，众议员丹·克伦肖在休斯顿由TerraFlow主办的展会上发言。（梅丽莎·菲利普/休斯顿纪事报通过盖蒂图片社）
保守派众议员丹·克伦肖是周二初选中唯一一位未获得特朗普支持的共和党众议院议员，他面临着来自州众议员史蒂夫·托特的强劲挑战，后者获得了德克萨斯州参议员特德·克鲁兹的支持。
民主党众议员克里斯蒂安·梅内菲在1月底的补选中当选，现在正在与长期担任民主党众议员的、直言不讳的特朗普批评者阿尔·格林在重新划定的新选区中展开对决。
在战场州北卡罗来纳州，前共和党全国委员会主席迈克尔·惠特利是共和党参议院提名的明显领跑者，他将竞选接替即将退休的共和党参议员汤姆·蒂利斯。
北卡罗来纳州前共和党全国委员会主席迈克尔·惠特利（左）和前民主党州长罗伊·库珀（右）可能会在中期选举中对决，以接替即将退休的共和党参议员汤姆·蒂利斯。（安吉拉·魏斯/法新社通过盖蒂图片社；雅采克·博查尔斯基/阿纳多卢通过盖蒂图片社）
前民主党州长罗伊·库珀预计将轻松赢得党内提名，这将引发一场激烈且非常昂贵的大选对决。
在众议院竞选中，民主党众议员瓦莱丽·福西面临来自左翼的激烈初选对决，对手是获得参议员伯尼·桑德斯支持的达勒姆县专员尼达·阿拉姆。
点击此处下载福克斯新闻应用
在阿肯色州，共和党参议员汤姆·科顿正寻求第三个六年任期，面临两名初选对手。
而共和党州长莎拉·赫卡比·桑德斯在寻求连任的初选中无人挑战。
相关文章
帕克斯顿在得克萨斯州致命枪击事件后要求加强审查，嫌疑人是归化公民
保罗·斯坦豪泽是一名政治记者，常驻摇摆州新罕布什尔州。他报道全国的竞选活动。
Texas Senate primaries explode as Cornyn warns Paxton could cost GOP majority, Democrats clash over race
========================================================================================================
A bruising battle among Republican and Democratic candidates battle is brewing in Texas, as Arkansas and North Carolina also hold primaries
By Paul Steinhauser , Alex MillerFox News
Published March 3, 2026 5:00am EST
[](https://www.foxnews.com/politics/texas-senate-primaries-explode-cornyn-warns-paxton-could-cost-gop-majority-democrats-clash-over-race#)close
Speaking one-on-one with Fox News Digital, Republican Sen. John Cornyn of Texas claims state Attorney General Ken Paxton is ‘unelectable in November.’
NEW You can now listen to Fox News articles!
Listen to this article
12 min
[](https://beyondwords.io/?utm_source=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.foxnews.com&utm_medium=player&utm_campaign=7893)
The 2026 primary season kicks off on Tuesday with showdowns in Texas, North Carolina and Arkansas in contests that could ultimately decide whether Republicans can hold their House and Senate majorities in the midterm elections.
Taking center stage this week: the combustible Democratic and Republican Senate primaries in right-leaning Texas.
Progressive firebrand Rep. Jasmine Crockett, a nationally known politician and vocal critic of President Donald Trump, is facing off against rising star Democratic state lawmaker James Talarico in the battle for the Democratic Senate nomination.
Either Crockett or Talarico will try to become the first Democrat in nearly four decades to win a Senate election in Texas, as the primary winner will face off against whoever comes out on top of a bruising three-way Republican primary among longtime incumbent Sen. John Cornyn, Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton and Rep. Wesley Hunt.
Video
The Cornyn campaign and aligned super PACs have spent nearly $100 million to run ads attacking Paxton and Hunt, with the senator charging in the closing weeks of the primary campaign that Democrats will flip the seat in the general election if Paxton’s the GOP’s nominee.
Cornyn, his allies, and the National Republican Senatorial Committee, the campaign arm of the Senate GOP, have repeatedly pointed to the slew of scandals and legal problems that have battered Paxton over the past decade, as well as his ongoing messy divorce.
TRUMP’S IRAN STRIKE ROCKS SENATE PRIMARIES IN TEXAS
“If I’m the nominee, I’ll help President Trump by making sure that we carry the five new congressional seats as well as maintain this Senate seat and will help him continue his agenda through the last two years of his term of office,” Cornyn touted in a Fox News Digital interview.
And, he argued, “If the Democrats win, because we nominate a flawed candidate with incredible baggage like the attorney general, then that last two years of [Trump’s] agenda is jeopardized, as well as everybody down ballot that we need to continue to elect as Republicans.”
Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton, a Republican Senate candidate, speaks to supporters at a campaign event on primary eve, in Waco, Texas, on March 2, 2026.(Paul Steinhauser/Fox News)
Paxton, a MAGA firebrand who grabbed significant national attention by filing lawsuits against the Obama and Biden administrations, pushed back, telling Fox News Digital on the eve of the primary that “I’m 3-0.I’ve won three statewide races.”
Pointing to public opinion polls suggesting he has the edge over Cornyn, Paxton argued, “it’s really easy for him to say that when he’s losing a primary, because he’s not delivered for the people of Texas, and he’s going to find out tomorrow what that means. He’s going to end up losing.”
“This idea that I can’t win a race is not true… there’s no evidence of what he’s saying is being true. As a matter of fact, the evidence is just the opposite,” Paxton added.
The GOP nomination battle was a two-person race until Hunt, a West Point graduate and military veteran who flew helicopters during his service and who represents a solidly red district in suburban Houston, announced his candidacy last autumn.
Republican Senate candidate Rep. Wesley Hunt of Texas is interviewed by Fox News Digital on the eve of the primary, in Houston, Texas on March 2, 2026.(Paul Steinhauser/Fox News)
The final public opinion polls suggested Paxton with the edge over Cornyn, with Hunt in third place. If no candidate tops 50% of the vote in Tuesday’s primary, the top two finishers will face off in a late May runoff.
“I think there’s going to be a runoff, no matter what happens,” Cornyn said.
Paxton, speaking to supporters on primary eve, touted that “if we go to a runoff, the odds get better for me.”
Hunt, in a Fox News Digital interview on the eve of the primary, argued that he’s “the best candidate to win the primary and win the general, and I’m already outperforming both candidates, both Ken and John, in the general election against James Talarico or Jasmine Crockett. These are facts.”
And pointing to the negative ads from Cornyn and his allies that have targeted him the past couple of weeks, Hunt said, “They have spent tens of millions of dollars against me in the state of Texas, which means that I must be doing the right thing, and I must be a threat. DC will not decide who will be the next senator from Texas. Texans will and that’s why I got in this race.”
Trump, whose clout over the GOP remains immense, has stayed neutral to date in the Republican primary. All three candidates, who have sought the president’s endorsement, were in attendance Friday as Trump held an event in Corpus Christi, Texas.
“They’re in a little race together,” Trump said of Cornyn and Paxton. “You know that, right? A little bit of a race. It’s going to be an interesting one, right? They’re both great people, too.”
President Donald Trump shakes hands with Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, in a Whataburger restaurant in Corpus Christi, Texas, on Feb. 27, 2026.(Mandel Ngan/AFP via Getty Images)
Trump also complimented Hunt, and said that all three contenders were engaged in an “interesting election.”
QUITE GOP ‘ASTROTURF’ CAMPAIGN CONVINCED CROCKETT TO JUMP INTO SENATE RACE
In the final weeks leading up to the Democratic primary, race became a key issue in the showdown between the 44-year-old Crockett, a civil rights attorney first elected to Congress in 2022, and the 36-year-old Talarico, a former middle school teacher and Presbyterian seminarian who is considered a rising star among Democrats.
Crockett, who is Black, claimed a couple of weeks ago that a Talarico-aligned super PAC had darkened her skin tone in an ad and said it was “straight up racist.”
Rep. Jasmine Crockett, D-Texas, speaks to reporters after announcing her run in the Democratic primary for U.S. Senate on Dec. 8, 2025, in Dallas.(AP Photo/LM Otero)
And Crockett argued late last month that criticisms claiming that she wasn’t electable statewide was a “dog whistle” that was “tearing down a Black woman,” and that she was the “most qualified” candidate.
Talarico, who was first elected to the Texas House in 2018 by flipping a red district in northeast Austin and surrounding suburbs, has highlighted his ability to win over Republican voters. And he questioned whether Crockett could run a competitive general election campaign.
And Talarico, who is White, was also accused a month ago by an influencer of calling former Rep. Colin Allred, a one-time rival for the 2026 Senate nomination, a “mediocre Black man.”
Allred, the 2024 Democratic Senate nominee, was making a second straight run after losing two years ago to Republican Sen. Ted Cruz, a conservative firebrand, by eight points.
But Allred ended his Senate campaign late last year, just before Crockett announced her candidacy. Allred, a former college football star who played professionally in the NFL and later became a civil rights attorney, is now running for his old House seat.
Morgan Thompson, the influencer who goes by the username @morga_tt on TikTok, in a social media post accused Talarico of saying in a private conversation with her that he had “signed up to run against a mediocre Black man, not a formidable, intelligent, Black woman.”
Texas state Rep. James Talarico, a Democratic Senate candidate, greets supporters after a campaign rally in San Antonio, Texas, on March 1, 2026.(Paul Steinhauser/Fox News)
Pushing back against Thompson’s characterizationof their conversation, Talarico said in a statement, “In my praise of Congresswoman Crockett, I described Congressman Allred’s method of campaigning as mediocre — but his life and service are not. I would never attack him on the basis of race.”
Allred, responding in a social media video, said: “James, if you want to compliment Black women, just do it. Just do it. Don’t do it while also tearing down a Black man.”
Crockett, who days later was endorsed by Allred, said in a statement that the former congressman “drew a line in the sand.”
“He made it clear that he did not take allegations of an attack on him as simply another day in the neighborhood, but more importantly, his post wasn’t about himself,” she said. “It was a moment that he decided to stand for all people who have been targeted and talked about in a demeaning way as our country continues to be divided.”
While dramatically outraised and outspent by Talarico, Crockett is the better-known candidate, thanks in part to her high-profile position on the House Oversight Committee.
The two-term lawmaker, who represents primarily Black and Hispanic majority neighborhoods in Dallas and surrounding inner suburbs south of the city, has grabbed plenty of attention for her clashes with Republicans on the panel, including one with then-Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene of Georgia in 2024 that went viral.
She also made headlines last year for calling longtime Republican Gov. Greg Abbott of Texas “Governor Hot Wheels.”
While Abbott has long used a wheelchair due to a 1984 accident, Crockett argued that her comment referred to his policies, not his physical condition.
Crockett, who made her opposition to Trump central to her campaign, has argued that Democrats need to prioritize turning out low propensity voters rather than winning over Republicans, in order to become the first Democrat since 1988 to win a Senate election in the Lone Star State.
“I don‘t know that we’ll necessarily convert all of Trump‘s supporters. That’s not our goal,” Crockett said in a December interview on CNN after declaring her candidacy.
Texas State Rep. James Talarico, D-Travis, and Rep. Jasmine Crockett, D-Texas, shake hands.(Bob Daemmrich/Getty Images)
Talarico, who speaks openly about his faith and how it shapes his progressive policy agenda, last year started garnering national attention through a slew of social media appearances that went viral. Also boosting his profile were his TikTok videos, which have grabbed millions of views, and his appearance last July on Joe Rogan’s top-rated podcast.
Rogan suggested during the interview that Talarico should run for president.
A month later, Talarico was a regular on the cable news networks, conducting dozens of national media interviews, as he and dozens of his fellow Democrats in the Texas House fled the state for weeks, to delay the eventual Trump-led redistricting push in Texas to create up to five more right-leaning congressional seats
Talarico launched his Senate campaign a month later, in September.
Last month, Talarico grabbed even more national attention when his appearance on “The Late Show with Stephen Colbert” was bumped off broadcast TV and instead appeared on YouTube. Colbert accused his network, CBS, of blocking the interview by citing guidelines from the Federal Communications Commission (FCC).
The controversy appeared to boost Talarico, with his campaign saying they hauled in $2.5 million in fundraising in the 24 hours “following his censored” interview.
But in the closing days of the primary campaign, Crockett landed the help of former Vice President Kamala Harris. The Democrats’ 2024 presidential nominee recorded a robocall to turnout voters on behalf of Crockett.
“Texas has the chance to send a fighter like Jasmine Crockett to the United States Senate,” Harris said in the call. “Jasmine has the experience and record to hold Donald Trump and his billionaire cronies accountable.”
She also landed an endorsement from rapper Cardi B, who said on Instagram, “If you want somebody that’s going to go up there and represent you and represent your issues, please vote for my sister, Jasmine Crockett.”
Democrats have long tried and failed to win statewide in Texas, but are confident they have a shot this year, due to the rough political climate facing Republicans.
Three House primaries in Texas are also grabbing attention.
Embattled Republican Rep. Tony Gonzales is facing a tough primary challenge amid political fallout after allegations of an affair with a former staffer who died by suicide.
Rep. Dan Crenshaw speaks during a showcase hosted by TerraFlow in Houston Thursday, Aug. 14, 2025.(Melissa Phillip/Houston Chronicle via Getty Images)
Conservative Rep. Dan Crenshaw, the only Republican House member running in a primary Tuesday who isn’t backed by Trump, is facing a strong challenge from state Rep. Steve Toth, who has the endorsement of Sen. Ted Cruz of Texas.
And Democratic Rep. Christian Menefee, who was elected in a late January special election, is running against longtime Democratic Rep. Al Green, an outspoken Trump critic, in a newly redrawn district.
In battleground North Carolina, former Republican National Committee Chair Michael Whatley is the clear frontrunner for the GOP Senate nomination in the race to succeed retiring Republican Sen. Thom Tillis.
Former Republican National Committee Chair Michael Whatley, left, and former Democratic Gov. Roy Cooper of North Carolina, right, are likely to face off in the midterm elections in the race to succeed retiring GOP Sen. Thom Tillis.(Angela Weiss/AFP via Getty Images; Jacek Boczarski/Anadolu via Getty Images)
Former Democratic Gov. Roy Cooper is expected to cruise to his party’s nomination, setting up a competitive and very expensive general election battle.
In House races, Democratic Rep. Valerie Foushee faces a tough primary rematch from the left against Durham County Commissioner Nida Allam, who has Sen. Bernie Sanders’ endorsement.
CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD THE FOX NEWS APP
In Arkansas, Republican Sen. Tom Cotton faces two primary opponents as he bids for a third six-year term.
And GOP Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders is running unopposed in the primary as she seeks a second term.
Related Article
Paxton demands stricter vetting after deadly Texas rampage by suspect who was naturalized citizen
Paul Steinhauser is a politics reporter based in the swing state of New Hampshire. He covers the campaign trail from coast to coast.”