On March 3, voters went to the polls for the first primary elections of the 2026 midterm election cycle.
The elections in Texas and North Carolina had the highest stakes for the control of Congress in 2027.
Though most of the results aligned with expectations ahead of the election, the night saw at least one major electoral surprise.
Here are the things to know about the primaries.
Texas: Cornyn and Paxton Head to Runoff
Sen. John Cornyn (R-Texas) and Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton will advance to a runoff in the Texas Republican Senate primary race, after neither candidate managed to achieve 50 percent of the vote.
The Associated Press called the race around 10:50 p.m. ET on March 3, with 60 percent of the vote counted. The runoff will be held on May 26.
A third hopeful, Rep. Wesley Hunt (R-Texas), claimed 12.9 percent, knocking him out of contention.
At his election night party in Dallas, Paxton compared himself to Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas). Cruz finished second in the 2012 Republican Senate primary before winning the runoff against Texas Lieutenant Governor David Dewhurst.
“The same thing is going to happen here,” he predicted.
Republican spending was dominated by almost $70 million in support of Cornyn, a former member of Senate leadership who has been in the chamber for over two decades.
Texas: Talarico Defeats Crockett 📺 Watch NTD News 24/7 on cable, broadcast, and streaming: https://www.ntd.com/watch
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Welcome back.
The 2026 midterm election season kicked off yesterday with several high-profile primary
elections.
That's right.
NTD's Dana Monahan has key takeaways.
In Texas, Senator John Cornyn has been pushed into a runoff against Attorney General Ken
Paxton in the state's Republican Senate primary, one of yesterday's most closely watched races.
The statewide early results are in and we did very well, as expected, and we were on
to the runoff.
Cornyn is seeking a fifth term, but facing a tough challenge from Paxton, the state attorney
general.
He hopes to avoid becoming the first Republican senator in Texas history not to be re-nominated.
Although Cornyn has expressed occasional skepticism of President Trump, he has been a reliable
ally to the president.
Paxton, however, says he is more aligned with Trump's Make America Great Again movement.
President Trump didn't endorse either candidate during the primary, but the results may raise
pressure on him to take a side.
The two will meet in a head-to-head contest on May 26th.
On the Democratic side, the Associated Press declared State Representative James Tallarico
the winner over Congresswoman Jasmine Crockett in Texas's closely watched Democratic Senate
primary.
He'll face the winner of the runoff between Cornyn and Paxton.
The Tallarico campaign stressed the unprecedented numbers of young voters, Independent and Republicans
supporting his campaign.
We are not just trying to win an election.
We are trying to fundamentally change our politics.
Some voting uncertainty occurred in the contest.
A Dallas County judge extended Democratic polling hours to 9 p.m. after early confusion
left some voters turned away.
Just before the extension ended, the Texas Supreme Court blocked the order, saying voting
must proceed as permitted.
U.S. Representative Crockett criticized the situation.
But I can tell you now that people have been disenfranchised.
The reason that we knew that there were problems is because we were receiving the phone calls
and the emails.
In a major Republican primary upset, CNN's Decision Desk projects that Texas State Representative
Steve Toth will defeat Congressman Dan Crenshaw in the race for Texas's 2nd Congressional
District.
Crenshaw, a four-term congressman and former Navy SEAL, faced criticism from the conservative
wing of his party despite his ties to President Trump.
His backing the resettlement of Afghani refugees and vote to certify the 2020 election results
put him at odds with key MAGA supporters.
Senator Ted Cruz endorsed Toth and appeared in a Super PAC ad backing the challenger.
And the November matchup for the U.S. Senate race in North Carolina is set, with Republican
Michael Whatley and Democrat Roy Cooper facing off.
Whatley won the GOP primary with about 64 percent of the vote, while Cooper secured
the Democratic nomination.
The winner will succeed Senator Tom Tillis, who chose not to run for re-election.
Daniel Monahan, NTD News.
Dallas police arrested a suspicious driver near Ken Paxton's campaign watch party after
finding ammunition in his car.
An investigation is underway and we'll be keeping you updated.
