🗳️ Talarico wins, runoff for Cornyn & Paxton

Local Results Delayed Following Republican Request

Election results in Travis County were delayed after the Republican party here requested that all votes be tabulated on election day. In previous years, the Travis County Clerk’s Office started counting early voting ballots the Saturday after early voting ends. [KVUE]

• About 30% of registered voters in town cast a ballot this election, including 18.6% who voted early. There are 920,114 registered voters in Travis County right now. [Travis County Clerk]
• In the Travis County Commissioners Court races, incumbent Brigid Shea won reelection for Precinct 2, while the Precinct 4 race appears to be headed for a runoff. [Community Impact]

Statewide Results Got Held up in Dallas, Williamson Counties

Dallas and Williamson counties got rid of centralized voting this year, leading to confusion for voters. In Dallas, the Texas Supreme Court overturned a ruling by County Judge Clay Jenkins for polls to remain open until 9 p.m. due to the confusion. Poll workers were then required to separate ballots cast before 7 p.m. and after. [The Texas Tribune]

• Some voting booths in Williamson County were open until 10 p.m. [KSAT]

Talarico Faces Uncertain Opponent for U.S. Senate Race

Around 1:35 a.m. this morning, the Associated Press named State Rep. James Talarico the winner of the Democratic nomination for U.S. Senate over Congresswoman Jasmine Crockett. The Republican nominee remains undecided. [The Associated Press]

• Shortly afterwards, Talarico declared victory, saying in a statement, “We’re about to take back Texas.” [Fox 4 News]
• Tuesday night, a spokesperson for Congresswoman Jasmine Crockett said the lawmaker planned to file a lawsuit over voting issues in Dallas County. [The Associated Press]
• U.S. Senator John Cornyn and Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton are headed to a runoff for the Republican nomination for U.S. Senate after neither pulled out a majority of the vote on Tuesday. The runoff is on May 26. [The Associated Press]
• Cornyn told reporters: “Judgement Day is coming for Ken Paxton.” [The New York Times]

Governor Match Set

Republican Gov. Greg Abbott and Democratic State Rep. Gina Hinojosa, who represents parts of Austin, will face each other in November for Texas Governor. Both Hinojosa and Abbott were the clear winners in their primaries. [The Texas Tribune]

For more on election night, including who else may be headed for a runoff, tune in today’s podcast! You don’t want to miss it! ⬇️