House, governor’s runoffs to be decided
A record number of congressional runoffs and a battle for governor are stirring hopes that voters will turn out Tuesday across Texas in larger numbers than in past primary election years.
Texans will determine which Democrat — Lupe Valdez or Andrew White — will take on Gov. Greg Abbott, a Republican, in the fall. And voters will take the next big step in remaking a big portion of the Texas congressional delegation.
Valdez is the former Dallas sheriff who finished first in the March 6 primary. She faces White, a Houston entrepreneur who is the son of the late Gov. Mark White.
For Democrats, the elections also offers a chance to show the beginning of a potential “blue wave” in which Democrats are more energized for the midterm election cycle. Already, more than 219,000 people have voted in the Democratic runoff primaries in the state’s 15 largest counties through early voting and absentee ballots. That is more votes than were cast in the entire 2014 Democratic primary runoff election when 201,000 people participated.
While Republicans have no
statewide candidates in primary runoffs, they have major battles for Congress on Tuesday’s ballots that impact eight of the state’s nine most populous cities — including Houston — due to an unusually high number of retirements of Texas Republicans. In many of those races, the Republican winner of the primary is all but certain to win the general election given how dominant the GOP is in some districts, thanks to gerrymandering.
Texas doesn’t typically have so many runoff elections for congressional seats. Combined, Democrats and Republicans have a record 17 primary runoff elections this year. Six of those runoffs are in Republican primaries, and 11 are in Democratic primaries.The state has never before had more than 11 primary runoffs for Congress and since 1986 has averaged four primary runoffs per cycle.
That surge in runoff battles is partly driven by the unusual number of retirements, said Brandon Rottinghaus, a University of Houston political science professor. Six Republicans and two Democrats have opted not to run for re-election.
Four of the 11 runoff battles for Democrats are in districts where the current member of Congress has retired. On the GOP side, all six of the runoffs are in districts where the incumbent retired.
Two of the most competitive races have been in Houston. In the 2nd Congressional District, State Rep. Kevin Roberts, who finished first in the March primary, faces retired Navy SEAL Dan Crenshaw in a battle to see who will win the Republican nomination to replace retiring Rep. Ted Poe, R-Atascocita.
In the 7th Congressional District, Democrat Lizzie Pannill Fletcher takes on Laura Moser. The winner of that race will face U.S. Rep. John Culberson, RHouston, in November. Culberson is considered the Democrats’ top target in Texas given his district supported Hillary Clinton over Donald Trump in 2016.
In the 10th Congressional District which includes part of northwest Harris County and all of Waller County, Democrat Mike Siegel battles Tawana Walter-Cadien for the right to take on U.S. Rep. Mike McCaul, R-Austin. In the 22nd Congressional District, which includes much of Fort Bend and Brazoria counties, Sri Preston Kulkarni takes on Letitia Plummer for the Democratic nomination. The winner will challenge Rep. Pete Olson, RSugar Land, in November.
In the 29th Congressional District which includes Houston’s East End, South Houston and part of Pasadena, Republican Phillip Arnoff battles Carmen Maria Montiel in the runoff primary. The winner will take on Democrat Sylvia Garcia in the general election. The winner of the seat would replace the retiring Rep. Gene Green, D-Houston.