{"id":4317,"date":"2026-03-04T23:28:53","date_gmt":"2026-03-04T23:28:53","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/conservative-politics.com\/index.php\/2026\/03\/04\/one-big-takeaway-for-democrats-from-the-texas-senate-primary-from-the-politics-desk\/"},"modified":"2026-03-04T23:28:53","modified_gmt":"2026-03-04T23:28:53","slug":"one-big-takeaway-for-democrats-from-the-texas-senate-primary-from-the-politics-desk","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/conservative-politics.com\/index.php\/2026\/03\/04\/one-big-takeaway-for-democrats-from-the-texas-senate-primary-from-the-politics-desk\/","title":{"rendered":"One big takeaway for Democrats from the Texas Senate primary: From the Politics Desk"},"content":{"rendered":"


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Welcome to the online version of <\/em>From the Politics Desk<\/em><\/a>, a daily newsletter that brings you the NBC News Politics team\u2019s latest reporting and analysis from the White House, Capitol Hill and the campaign trail.<\/em><\/p>\n

In today\u2019s edition, Steve Kornacki dives into the massive turnout in the Texas Democratic primary for Senate. Plus, Andrea Mitchell sifts through the Trump administration\u2019s growing list of mixed messages on Iran. <\/em><\/p>\n

Sign up to receive this newsletter in your inbox every weekday here.<\/em><\/a><\/p>\n

\u2014 Adam Wollner<\/em><\/p>\n

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What Democrats\u2019 sky-high turnout in the Texas primary does \u2014 and doesn\u2019t \u2014 mean for November<\/h2>\n

Analysis by Steve Kornacki<\/h3>\n

Democrats in Texas are feeling enthusiastic about their voters\u2019 enthusiasm \u2014 and for good reason.<\/p>\n

For the first time in a generation, it appears they have outpaced Republicans in turnout for a midterm primary in the state. It\u2019s a significant achievement for a party that believes that in James Talarico<\/strong> and 2026, it has finally found the nominee and the moment to deliver a breakthrough victory in the traditional Republican stronghold. <\/p>\n

But while Democrats are emerging from Tuesday\u2019s primary with understandable optimism about Talarico\u2019s chances of capturing a Senate seat, the results come with some cautionary notes, too.<\/p>\n

Start with the numbers. With the final votes still being tabulated, more than 2.2 million ballots have been cast in the Democratic Senate primary featuring Talarico and Rep. Jasmine Crockett<\/strong>. That figure is more than twice as high as anything seen in a midterm primary for Texas Democrats this century. It\u2019s also more than 100,000 votes higher than the current turnout level for the GOP contest.<\/p>\n

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What\u2019s doubly impressive about the Democrats\u2019 turnout level in the race is that it came even as Republicans were locked in an unusually competitive primary of their own, with Sen. John Cornyn<\/strong> facing challenges from Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton<\/strong> and Rep. Wesley Hunt<\/strong>. In a red state like Texas, one might assume that a high-stakes GOP contest would easily attract the most interest from voters, especially with the astronomical sums of money that were poured into it. <\/p>\n

Clearly, Democratic-aligned voters are deeply \u2014 even historically \u2014 energized right now. What isn\u2019t at all clear, though, is what this will portend for November.<\/p>\n

Certainly, primary turnout doesn\u2019t always correlate with general election triumph. For instance, in the 2008 presidential primary season, nearly 3 million voters took part in Texas\u2019 hotly contested Democratic race between Barack Obama<\/strong> and Hillary Clinton<\/strong>, compared with barely 1 million in the GOP battle between John McCain<\/strong> and Mike Huckabee<\/strong>. But that November, Texas remained safely in the GOP column, with McCain beating Obama by 12 points in the state. <\/p>\n

Democratic turnout in this year\u2019s Texas Senate primary is also part of a much broader national trend that has accelerated since Trump\u2019s return to the White House. Particularly among the economically upscale, college-educated voters who have become a bigger part of the party\u2019s base, participation in elections is sky-high. These are voters who are repelled by Trump and intent on using any and every chance they have to register their views at the polls. <\/p>\n

In primaries and special elections, this kind of energy imbalance can really show. But November will bring a much broader electorate, and in Texas, the Senate general election could conceivably attract 10 million voters. As impressive as their show of force was Tuesday, that will leave Democrats needing to win over about 3 million additional voters in a state that delivered a 14-point victory to Trump in 2024. As the Democratic nominee, Talarico will need to persuade voters, not just motivate them.<\/p>\n

Read more from Steve \u2192<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n

More from last night\u2019s elections:<\/strong><\/p>\n