LUBBOCK, Texas (KCBD) – Early voting for party primary runoff elections begins Monday, May 18, and runs through May 22.
19th Congressional District
Republican voters in the 19th Congressional District, which covers most of the South Plains and Abilene, will choose between Abraham Enriquez and Tom Sell for the GOP nomination.
Sell led on election night in March with 40 percent of the vote. Enriquez won 18.75 percent of the vote, barely surpassing Matt Smith’s 18.5 percent. The winner will face Democrat Kyle Rable in the general election in November.
Senate race
Republican voters will also choose a candidate for U.S. Senate. John Cornyn is running for re-election. He has represented Texas in the U.S. Senate since 2002. Cornyn won 42 percent of the vote in the primary.
Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton is challenging him. Paxton won 40 percent of the primary vote. Paxton made a campaign stop in Lubbock this week. He said he will champion President Trump’s policies if elected. The president was expected to make an endorsement in this race but never did. The winner of the Republican primary will face Democrat James Talarico in November.
Attorney general race
Both parties are facing a runoff between their candidates to replace Paxton as attorney general.
Mayes Middleton and Chip Roy are on the Republican ballot for attorney general. Middleton is the state House representative for Galveston. He won 39 percent of the vote in the primary. Roy is the U.S. House representative for Austin. He won 31 percent of the primary vote.
On the Democrat side, Joe Jaworski and Nathan Johnson are competing in the runoff for attorney general. Johnson won 48 percent of the primary vote. Jaworski won 26 percent. Johnson is the Texas state senator for Dallas. Jaworski is the former mayor of Galveston. This is the second time he has run for attorney general. He ran unsuccessfully in 2022.
Railroad commissioner race
Republicans will also choose a candidate for railroad commissioner. The railroad commissioner is in charge of regulating the oil and gas industry, pipelines, mining and more. The Railroad Commission oversees decision making on issues crucial to energy production, the environment and the state’s economy.
The Republican runoff is between Bo French and incumbent Jim Wright. Wright has served on the Texas Railroad Commission since 2001. French is a far-right candidate. He is making Islam, the Chinese government and diversity the cornerstone of his campaign, saying those countries are running rampant in the Texas oil fields.
Lieutenant governor race
Democrats are also in a runoff for lieutenant governor. Vikki Goodwin is the state House representative for Austin. She won 48 percent of the vote in March’s primary. She is facing Marcos Velez, a labor leader out of Houston. Velez won 31 percent of the vote in the primary. The winner will face incumbent Dan Patrick in November.
Lieutenant governor is the state’s second-highest executive, who presides over the state Senate.
Voting information
Early voting for the party primary runoff starts Monday, May 18, and runs through May 22. It is a joint primary runoff in Lubbock County, which means voters can go to any location to cast an early ballot, regardless of party affiliation. Voters can vote at the same early voting locations as previous elections, including United Supermarkets around town, the Lubbock County Elections Office and various city halls and community centers across the county.
Election day is Tuesday, May 26.
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