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More than 1 million voted in Senate Democratic primary, providing a measure of party’s energy WASHINGTON—The 2018 fight for control of Congress began Tuesday, as Texas Democrats flooded the polls for the year’s first primary election and showed that the national wave of Democratic enthusiasm will buffet even traditionally Republican states. Statewide turnout in the Senate Democratic primary race provided a measure of the party’s energy: More than 1 million voted in the primary, almost double the number in 2014. But Democrats still lagged behind the 1.5 million who voted in the GOP Senate primary.

The midterm election season officially kicks off on Tuesday, when Texas voters head to the polls for the nation’s first primary of 2018. With early voting already suggesting a record turnout for Democrats, and widespread speculation about what effect an endorsement by President Trump will have on Republican candidates, the Texas primaries are being looked at as both a bellwether for the rest of the nation - and a sign the red state could be turning purple more quickly than expected. “What these primaries really boil down to is one issue: Trump versus anti-Trump,” Cal Jillson, a political science professor...

For all the talk of renewed Democratic energy heading into the 2018 midterms, Texas Republicans have set a new benchmark for turnout in a midterm election. More than 1.5 million people voted Tuesday in the Republican primary for U.S. Senate, won by incumbent Ted Cruz. That beats the previous record of 1.48 million in 2010, during former President Barack Obama’s first term.

Democrats across the country were getting a collective thrill up their leg about the coming “blue wave” that was about to break over Texas. Some early-voting numbers had Dems all excited. And then the election happened. And it’s true that a political party set a Texas record yesterday for the number of voters going to the polls in a primary. Just one teensy little problem for Texas Dems: it was the Republican party. Democrats turned out in solid-but-not-record-breaking numbers. Overall, Republicans swamped Dem turnout by about half-a-million votes. Republican votes cast beat Dem votes by a ratio of 60/40. On...

After months of speculation, the 2018 midterm elections are officially underway with initial primaries in Texas. There’s more evidence of a Democratic surge previously seen in Virginia and in special elections around the country, but also the reality that some of the swarm of Democratic candidates aren’t even going to make it to the general election. While operatives on both sides of the aisle treat primaries like the plague, they can be a proving ground for candidates (particularly first-time ones) and an opportunity to ramp up their campaigns before moving on to more competitive general elections. Some of the Democrats’...

It's primary season for the 2018 midterm elections, and voters in Texas are the first in the nation to head to the ballot box. There's a surge of energy among Democrats that's enough to concern Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, who has his own primary race to deal with Tuesday. Cruz is fighting for reelection for the first time since entering the Senate in 2013.

No doubt about it now, folks. Just like the Academy Awards crashed and burned last Sunday evening, the Democrat Party, "Massive Early Voting" crashed and burned tonight in the Texas, 2018 primary election. Ah, the days of Wendy Davis certainly have returned. I ask you this, folks, where was Obama, where was Clinton, where was Chuck Schumer, and where was Nancy Pelosi? Time to move on, Democrats, this game is over...Trumpie has won big time!!! The blooming rose of Texas remains bright Trump "RED". MAGA..Trump!!!

AUSTIN, TEXAS The 2018 midterm election cycle kicked off with a surge in voter enthusiasm for both parties in Texas, although the gains were bigger for Democrats. It boosted a slew of women candidate and helped Republicans who had drawn direct support from President Donald Trump. The primary set up Democrats to make inroads in November although they are unlikely to overturn two decades of Republican dominance in Texas politics. Here are some things to know from the first state primary in the nation. Trump's first term produced a wave of voters Texas hasn't seen in years. Spurred by big...

Washington (CNN) A crowded Democratic House primary in the Houston area has become a stand-in for the broader battle within the party between progressives who backed Bernie Sanders and members of the establishment. The controversy erupted more than a week ago, when the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee, the party's political arm for House races, unleashed a scathing attack against journalist and activist Laura Moser, one of seven candidates in the Texas 7th District Democratic primary to take on Republican Rep. John Culberson this fall. Now, with two days left before the Texas primary on Tuesday, the infighting has opened wounds...

Drudge and establishment/leftwing news sites have been going crazy with the notion that incredibly high Democrat turnout in Texas means that Texas is going blue. But election results show that Republicans are absolutely SPANKING Democrats in turnout, getting 50% more votes than the Democrats. https://www.politico.com/election-results/2018/texas/ And that's with the Democrats having fiesty, expensive primary contents while the Republicans are mostly merely coronating their incumbent governor, Greg Abbot, and senator, Ted Cruz (although both candidates had multiple opponents). Abbot received 1.4 million votes, compared to Lupe Valdez and Andrew White, who will be headed to a runoff after receiving about half...

U.S. Senator Ted Cruz (R-TX) received more votes in the 2018 Republican Primary election than the entire turnout of voters in the Democratic Primary. The results shed a new perspective on the media-hyped “blue wave” stories from the weeks leading up to election day. In the Republican Primary of 2018, Senator Cruz received 1,317,450 votes in a race with four challengers. His Democrat opponent, U.S. Representative Beto O’Rourke only received 641,311 votes against two opponents. Figures from the Secretary of State’s office show that just over one million voters turned out in the Democratic Primary in general across Texas. Cruz...

Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, went on offense in the wake of Texas primary victory on Tuesday and released an ad targeting his Democratic challenger in a country jingle that warns, “If you’re going to run in Texas, you can’t be a liberal, man.” Cruz tweeted the clip, which played to the tune of Alabama’s “If You’re Gonna Play in Texas.” The tweet came shortly after Rep. Beto O’Rourke, D-Texas, easily advanced to the November matchup. O’Rourke faces an uphill climb. Cruz received more votes than every Democratic candidate in their primary combined. FIRST LISTEN: our new 60-second statewide radio ad...

The incumbent Ted Cruz has a strong challenger in Beto O'Rourke for the coveted Lone Star State Senate seat in November's General Election. Ted cruised to victory while Beto roared and showed he's ready for a showdown. Texas Republican U.S.Senate incumbent Ted Cruz will face Democrat challenger Beto O'Rourke after both won their respective party's primary ballot Tuesday night. The headliner on the Texas ballot was the race for the United States Senate seat held by incumbent Ted Cruz, the junior senator winding down his first term. Cruz had four opponents in the Republican Primary. Cruz had more than 80...

Freeper Inputs on Texas Primary results, turnout, key races, outcomes.

While he survived a brutal and controversial Senate primary in 2014, Thad Cochran of Mississippi, citing his failing health, is resigning effective April 1. A special election will be held to finish the remainder of his term that ends in 2020. If no one gets above 50 percent, a runoff will be held. For now, Gov. Phil Bryant will appoint an interim senator to fill the vacancy until the election. Cochran’s colleague, Sen. Roger Wicker (R-MI), is up for re-election this year and is facing a challenge by state Sen. Chris McDaniel. McDaniel challenged Cochran in 2014 (via NPR): I...

WASHINGTON -- An impasse remains over a nettlesome aspect of the nation's biofuels standards even after the White House on Tuesday hosted Sen. Ted Cruz and some corn state senators for a meeting at the Texan's request. Despite the lack of a breakthrough to deal with Cruz's concern that the setup is harming refineries in Texas and beyond, he lifted a months-long blockade on an Iowa official nominated to a top USDA post. The Senate then quickly confirmed Iowa Agriculture Secretary Bill Northey. Senator Ted Cruz ✔ @SenTedCruz This morning, we had a very positive & productive meeting on fixing...

Texas Gov. Greg Abbott warned supporters in a fundraising email Monday about Democrats’ turnout for the March primary, which he says should “shock every conservative to their core.” So far, more Democrats have voted early than Republicans, Dallas News reports. Through Sunday in the 15 Texas counties with the most registered voters, 135,070 people had voted in the Republican primary and 151,236 in the Democratic. Compared to the first six days of early voting in 2014, Democratic turnout increased 69 percent, while Republicans saw a 20 percent increase. The Democrats even surpassed their early voting totals from the 2016 primary...

President Trump is organizing White House meetings with Cabinet officials about a federal biofuel mandate that a major refiner blamed for its bankruptcy, Bloomberg and Reuters report. The first meeting on potential changes to the Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS) will be Friday with EPA Administrator Scott Pruitt and Agriculture Secretary Sonny Perdue, Bloomberg said. Trump will then meet Tuesday with those Cabinet officials and a handful of senators from both oil- and corn-heavy states who care about the policy, both news outlets report. The meetings come weeks after Philadelphia Energy Solutions (PES), the largest fuel refiner...

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WASHINGTON — Texas Sen. Ted Cruz's fundraising lagged far behind his top Democratic challenger during the first six weeks of 2018, a new federal campaign filing shows. Cruz raised $800,000 through Feb. 14. That’s well below El Paso Rep. Beto O’Rourke’s $2.3 million haul, according to the most recent federal report. The Republican also spent more than he raised — nearly $1.2 million, while O’Rourke burned through roughly $2 million in his bid to unseat the powerhouse incumbent. Both face nominal competition in March 6 primaries and most nonpartisan handicappers view Cruz as the heavy favorite in his Senate re-election...