Texas Standard By Rhonda Fanning & Caroline Covington 2/24/2022
Texas primaries could have big consequences for national politics. Here’s what to watch through Election Day.
Two politics reporters say their eyes are on the governor and attorney general races, plus Texas’ 28th Congressional District and issues with mail-in ballots.
Texas is the first state to hold primary elections for the 2022 election cycle. Early voting ends Friday and Election day is March 1.
The results in Texas could have broader consequences for national politics. Who wins in Texas could shift the balance of power in the U.S. House of Representatives. Results could also indicate whether Texas Democrats are willing to embrace more progressive candidates, and whether former President Donald Trump still holds sway over conservative voters.
Two political reporters following the Texas primaries spoke with Texas Standard about what they’re paying attention to this week and beyond next Tuesday: Stephanie Murray of Politico and Julian Aguilar of The Texas Newsroom. Listen to the interview in the audio player above or read the transcript below to learn more.
Texas Standard: Stephanie, as a political reporter outside of Texas, you recently wrote about what the primaries in Texas might signal for national midterm elections in November. Could you say a little bit more about that?
Stephanie Murray: I think the biggest race that I have my eye on right now is Texas’ [28th Congressional District] – the Democratic primary matchup between Congressman Henry Cuellar and Jessica Cisneros – a progressive backed by Justice Democrats who lost to Cuellar in 2020 but is running again this cycle. I think how that primary pans out will say a lot about where progressives have momentum heading into the rest of the midterm calendar as we get through big primaries in other states across the spring.
Cisneros ran against Cuellar previously; she was a former intern of his, and came rather close to winning, is that right?
Murray: Yeah, that’s right. She lost by fewer than 3,000 votes in 2020. And, you know, there are a few factors that seem to stack up in her favor. One of them is that the district became a little bit more blue in redistricting – that once-in-a-decade process when lawmakers redraw the congressional districts. And the other factor is that Cuellar’s home and his campaign office were recently raided by the FBI, which, of course, spurred a lot of questions from the press, a lot of attack ads on television. So it’s going to be a really fascinating race to watch.
Julian, looking at the statewide races, which ones have gotten most attention, and are you expecting any surprises or potential runoffs?
Julian Aguilar: At the top of the ticket, obviously, Gov. Greg Abbott: his opponents are running to the to the right of the governor, which seems kind of hard to do in this day and age, at least with the Texas GOP.
More:
https://www.texasstandard.org/stories/texas-primaries-could-have-big-consequences-for-national-politics-heres-what-to-watch-through-election-day/
