Early voting kicks off in Texas as Republicans and Democrats battle for March 3 primary wins
SAN ANTONIO, TEXAS: Early voting began Tuesday, February 17, for Texas’ March 3 primary, with high-stakes races drawing voters to the polls.
Voters will weigh in on the US Senate race, where Democrats Ahmad Hassan, James Talarico, and Congresswoman Jasmine Crockett are competing for their party’s nomination, while Republicans choose among incumbent Senator John Cornyn, Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton, and Congressman Wesley Hunt.
Early voting runs through February 27 from 7 am to 7 pm, with Election Day set for March 3.
Ken Paxton challenges John Cornyn’s fifth term bid
On Monday, February 16, Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton held his first campaign rally since entering the Senate race. He is running against longtime Republican Senator John Cornyn and Rep Wesley Hunt.
Paxton criticized Cornyn for seeking a fifth term, asking, "Why is John Cornyn running for a fifth term? No one's ever done that in Texas history. Not Sam Houston, not John Tower, not LBJ, not Phil Gramm. No one has ever done it."
Paxton added, "He talks about how he's pro-Trump. We all know that's false. He, in 2016, said that Donald Trump was an albatross around our necks. Guess who he's saying that about now? Me. In 2024, he said, we should elect somebody different. Trump's time has passed and insinuated that he was guilty of crimes, even though he had no proof.”
On Tuesday, February 17, Senator John Cornyn held a campaign event in Austin to boost his campaign against Paxton and Hunt. Cornyn warned, "If Kim Paxton is at the top of the ticket, we risk losing the Senate seat, losing the majority in the House of Representatives, and it will take a toll on everybody on the ballot."
“I won by 10 points in 2020, and I can do that again and help President Trump and help Republicans keep Texas red,” he recalled.
He concluded, "And then think about those five new congressional seats that are important. I know they're important to President Trump, because he talks about it all the time. He does not want to lose the majority in the House of Representatives.”
Jasmine Crockett rallies Texas voters in primary
On the Democratic side, Jasmine Crockett met with voters during early voting in Dallas, urging Texans to believe in themselves and exercise their power.
“We can't afford to get this wrong. Texas, we can do this. This is about us believing in ourselves. They want us to doubt ourselves. They want to believe that we're powerless,” Crockett told reporters.
She added, “Texas has the opportunity to flip not only this state but put this country on a better trajectory so we can start to protect our rights and have some real accountability and have people that are actually looking out for us.”
Crockett emphasized, “Right now, people need to understand that they still have the power. Our democracy hangs by a thread, but I am here to tell you that I will fight them every single day to make sure that they start to live up to everything that this Constitution says we are supposed to be about.”
Leaders from both parties in Dallas County told CBS News Texas that voter enthusiasm is high and that a strong primary turnout in March is key for the November midterms.
“It’s incredibly huge. It shows again that enthusiasm that you talked about, and you can ramp up from there because what you want to see happen in November, a 55%, it would be great if we could 60%,” said Allen West, chairman of the Dallas County Republican Party. “But if you're trying to operate and start from a 25% primary turnout, that's going to be a hard push. So this is about informing, educating, and activating people.”
Early voting runs from Tuesday through Friday, February 27.
