What to watch in Tuesday’s Texas primary

The 2018 midterms officially began Tuesday with the primary in Texas. Democratic hopes are high for the fall, after early primary voting saw Democratic turnout more than double from four years ago. Republican numbers rose less than 15 percent. Here’s a quick readers’ guide.

SENATE

Race overview: Three Democratic challengers; Republican incumbent Sen. Ted Cruz.

First-time candidates? Yes. Democrats Sema Hernandez and Edward Kimbrough.

Candidate to watch: Democrat Rep. Beto O’Rourke represents the state’s 16th congressional district, which includes El Paso. His campaign has raised $2.3 million since the start of 2018, much more than Cruz’s fundraising total.

Rep. Beto O’Rourke, D-Texas, pictured campaigning for the U.S. Senate in Houston last year. Photo by REUTERS/William Philpott

HOUSE

Texas 7th CD

Race Overview: Seven Democrats; Republican incumbent Rep. John Culberson.

The District: A suburban area that includes parts of Harris County and western Houston. It’s one of the wealthiest areas of the state. The district has voted Republican since 2001, but Harris County went for Hillary Clinton in 2016.

The Democratic divide: This primary race captures the party clash between progressives and moderates, with the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee (DCCC) taking the rare step of openly opposing the journalist and progressive candidate Laura Moser.

Candidates to watch: Moser, along with lawyer Lizzie Pannill Fletcher, who is endorsed by EMILY’s List, and Alex Triantaphyllis, a Harvard Law School grad who co-founded a non-profit refugee mentorship program in Houston.

Texas 23th CD

Race Overview: Five Democrats; Republican incumbent Rep. Will Hurd.

The District: Expansive in size, stretching from San Antonio all the way to El Paso, this district runs along roughly one-third of the entire U.S.-Mexico border. Its vast size is due to its relatively small population. A perpetual swing district with a Hispanic majority, it went for Hillary Clinton by 3.4 percent in 2016.

Flip-flop: This seat has flipped parties in recent years, with the back-to-back ousting of incumbents since 2006. In a year with the most crowded Democratic primary the district has seen in a while, all the candidates are closely aligned on most issues, making it difficult to predict who could bring the best challenge to Hurd.

Candidates to watch: Jay Hulings, a former federal prosecutor from San Antonio, has the support of Rep Joaquin Castro, D-Texas. Gina Ortiz Jones, an openly gay woman of color and a former Air Force Intelligence officer, has the backing of EMILY’s List.

Rep. Pete Sessions, R-Texas, is one of several GOP incumbents in Texas whose seats Democrats are targetinng in 2018. Photo by REUTERS/Joshua Roberts

Texas 32nd CD

Race Overview: Seven Democrats; Republican incumbent Rep. Pete Sessions has held the seat since 2003.

The district: Serving the suburbs of northeast Dallas, this wealthy district is home to former president George W. Bush, and went for GOP presidential nominees Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., and Mitt Romney in 2008 and 2012. But Hillary Clinton won the district by 1.9 percent in 2016.

Candidates to watch: Among Democrats, Ed Meir, a former state department official and Clinton campaign staffer, is raking in the most in campaign funds so far. But three others could make the race competitive: Colin Allred, an attorney and former NFL player; Lillian Salerno, a former Obama campaign staffer; and Brett Shipp, a veteran local news reporter.