In March 5 Texas Primaries, Down-ballot Contests Have More Lone Star Spice

On Monday, the field will be set for the March 5 Texas primaries, when Republicans and Democrats settle internal rivalries that will shape the 2024 election season.

The marquee primary contest is the GOP presidential primary, which could be an afterthought if former President Donald Trump takes control of the nomination before Texans cast their ballots.

The down-ballot contests have more Texas spice, as Republicans stage a two-pronged family fight, and Democrats decide what kind of nominees are best suited to win in a state dominated by their GOP rivals.

Paxton, Abbott target some GOP House incumbents

It’s common for Republican House incumbents to get challenges from hard-right insurgents. This season, however, features two of the state’s top leaders weighing in on March 5 contests.

Gov. Greg Abbott is pushing a slate of candidates who support developing a school voucher-like program in Texas. A school choice bill has failed in the House because of a coalition of some rural Republicans and Democrats. They rejected proposals for an education savings account plan that would have allowed public school students to tap into public dollars to attend private schools.

Abbott is making good on a vow to make school choice an issue in the primaries.

Attorney General Ken Paxton, who in September survived a Senate impeachment trial, is also a player in the primaries. Paxton is supporting candidates running against numerous House members who voted to impeach him. Those include members from Collin County, his hometown, as well as Republican House Speaker Dade Phelan of Beaumont.

Phelan is expected to use his resources to help protect House incumbents, so the March primaries should be interesting.

Democrats decide best approach against Ted Cruz

By the end of Monday, there will likely be double-digit candidates in the Democratic Party primary for Senate, where the winner will face Republican incumbent Ted Cruz in the November general election.

A top contender is U.S. Rep. Colin Allred, D-Dallas, who has a large lead in fundraising and is running as a business Democrat who stressed bipartisanship. His main rival for the nomination is state Sen. Roland Gutierrez of San Antonio, who says he’s more progressive and doesn’t think the pursuit of bipartisanship is a worthwhile effort.

Campaign money and resources aside, the race could involve which style of leading is more favorable to primary voters, as all the candidates have similar views on most of the issues, though there are differences on border security. Allred says he favors building barriers along the southern border where they make sense, while Gutierrez is against such structures.

Supporters say Allred has a strong record of delivering for his district and Texas, including bringing a VA medical center to Garland, while Gutierrez said his unrelenting approach has helped the families of Uvalde, where 19 students and two teachers were killed in the mass shooting at Robb Elementary School.

Allred’s resources could be a key factor in the contest. For the cycle, he outraised Gutierrez by a 20-1 margin, and the task for everyone in the race is to have enough money to amplify their messages in a costly statewide market.

State Rep. Carl Sherman, D-DeSoto, is also mounting a Democratic primary campaign for Senate, hoping to sell voters on his experience as a lawmaker, former DeSoto mayor and minister.

North Texas congressional delegation gets new members

No matter what happens in the March primaries and November general election, there will be three new lawmakers representing North Texas in Congress.

Incumbents not seeking reelection include the retiring Michael Burgess, R-Pilot Point, and Kay Granger, R-Fort Worth. Allred is leaving his House seat to run for Senate.

Granger is the powerful chairwoman of the House Appropriations Committee, so her departure means a loss of political clout. Burgess has represented District 26, including parts of Denton, Tarrant and Dallas counties, since 2003.

Allred has represented Democratic-leaning District 32 in parts of northern and eastern Dallas County since 2019. It was once a GOP stronghold.

Each open seat will test the mood of voters in those districts. Will Republicans and Democrats move to the right or left, or will the new leaders follow in the path of their predecessors?

Source : TheDallasMorningNews