A voter walks into the Como Community Center to cast her ballot on the first day of early voting in Tarrant County.
Rachel Royster
rroyster@star-telegram.com
U.S. Sen. John Cornyn says he has the conservative experience needed to represent Texans in Washington for what would be his fifth term.
Attorney General Ken Paxton argues he’s taken on Democratic administrations, big tech and big pharma in the courtroom and will battle the Washington establishment in the Capitol.
U.S. Rep. Wesley Hunt of Houston pitches himself as an alternative for Republicans — a bonafide conservative who’s a fresh face.
For Rep. Jasmine Crockett of Dallas, it’s her track record in Congress and fighting spirit that make her the best Democratic nominee.
State Rep. James Talarico of Round Rock says he’s the person to unite Texans, preaching a “love thy neighbor” approach to politics.
Each leading candidate in the Republican and Democratic primaries for U.S. Senate have made their case for why they should be elected in Washington — appealing to voters in ads, interviews and on the campaign trail at events across the state, including in Dallas-Fort Worth.
The months of appeals culminate in the March 3 election, building on high-volume early voting turnout.
It’s a brawl to the finish line, as the candidates and their supporters spend big and, at times, take political punches.
Tuesday’s outcome sets up the November ballot, a high-stakes election where every seat counts as Republicans try to keep control in Congress during a midterm year that could be favorable to Democrats — though a blue victory in the U.S. Senate remains an uphill feat.
Democrats make their case to North Texans
The five leading candidates — three in the Republican primary and two in the Democratic primary — have all made stops in North Texas in the final stretch of the primary, as they try to win over voters in the Dallas-Fort Worth area.
Brandon Rottinghaus, a University of Houston political science professor, predicts that the Democratic nominee will be selected without a runoff, given Talarico and Crockett are the main contenders for the statewide seat. Democrat Ahamd Hassan rounds out the slate of three candidates.
But the race is likely to be close, Rottinghaus said.
“I don’t think that either one of them is going to walk away with it,” he said.
Despite being a red state, Texas is trending toward the number of Democratic primary voters surpassing the number of Republican primary voters during in-person early voting. The Democratic primary has also seen higher voter turnout in Tarrant County, reversing the pattern of recent elections. The county is often referred to as a bellwether for the rest of the state.
“I think it proves what I’m seeing everywhere across the state, which is that there is a growing backlash to the extremism and the corruption in our government, and it’s a bipartisan backlash,” said Talarico, who’s made multiple North Texas stops, including in Dallas on Wednesday.
U.S. Rep. Jasmine Crockett speaks at a Feb. 19 Fort Worth campaign event during early voting for the U.S. Senate Democratic primary.
A recent Democratic victory in a historically red state Senate district has Democrats enthused and some Republicans worried for November.
“I think that this is going to be the next battleground for Republicans countywide,” Crockett said during a Feb. 19 campaign stop in Fort Worth. “I think Tarrant County is on track to do what they need to do and actually flip this county blue.”
Much of the race has focused on Crockett and Talaricos’ styles of campaigning and governing, rather than policy differences.
During a visit to a Fort Worth Church on Feb. 19, Crockett said she’s the best candidate to take on Republicans in November, and defended her electability — saying that she’s an experienced, effective member of Congress and more than the viral moments that have contributed to her high-profile status.
“Honestly, I don’t want to be judged on anything other than my qualifications,” Crockett said. “I’m not running because I’m Black or because I’m a woman. I’m running because I’ve got a record.”
Talarico, a former school teacher in the San Antonio school district and a Presbyterian seminarian, said in an interview that he’s the only candidate who has won a competitive general election — flipping a state House seat in 2018.
“We need someone with a proven track record of winning tough races,” he said.
While in Dallas on Feb. 25 ahead of Election Day, he proposed unity over division in a time of polarized politics. He’s advocated for that the fight in the U.S. isn’t left versus right, but “top versus bottom.”
State Rep. James Talarico, Democratic primary candidate for U.S. Senate, looks at U.S. Rep. Jasmine Crockett during a debate at the 2026 Texas AFL-CIO COPE Convention in Georgetown, Texas on Saturday, Jan. 24, 2026. Bob Daemmrich for The Texas Tribune via POOL
Crockett, who previously served in the state House and worked as an attorney, has focused on energizing Democrats and getting them to the polls, while Talarico has emphasized the importance of Republicans and independents to a November victory.
“We’ve got to inspire Democrats to show up,” Talarico said in an interview. “We’ve got to peel people off from the middle and from the right. That’s exactly how I flipped the Trump district in Williamson County, and I think that’s how we’re going to win this race in November of this year.”
The Republican message in North Texas
Republicans are also fighting for North Texas voters in a GOP primary that will serve as a litmus test of where the electorate is politically during Trump’s second term.
Cornyn, of Austin, cast Paxton as a losing candidate in November during a Feb. 18 campaign visit to Fort Worth. The senator, who took office in 2003, highlighted his character and trust and relationships in Washington.
Paxton, of McKinney, has been on the receiving end of jabs about his 2023 impeachment, when he was accused of abusing his office to benefit a political donor. He was later acquitted in a Senate trial. Paxton has also faced infidelity allegations as he goes through a divorce from his wife, Sen. Angela Paxton, a McKinney Republican.
“If he is the nominee, he will either lose or he will win by a razor-thin margin, and it will cost hundreds of millions of dollars to try and save him,” Cornyn said of Paxton, adding that the money is better spent trying to pick up Senate seats in other parts of the country.
Sen. John Cornyn speaks at a Feb. 18 campaign event in Fort Worth. He’s running in the Republican primary for U.S. Senate. Eleanor Dearman
The day before in Allen, Paxton predicted that Cornyn may not even make it to a runoff election. He criticized Cornyn as part of the “Washington swamp” and pushed back on the idea that he’d be easier for Democrats to defeat in a general, while talking with reporters after the campaign event.
“They may be excited,” he said. “I’m excited to run against them, because … Republicans have held since ‘94. We’re not going to lose this year.”
During a recent trip to North Texas, Hunt said that like Cornyn, Paxton is a career politician. Hunt has promised to serve up to 12 years — two terms — in the Senate. He spoke of his military service and promised to stay true to the priorities of the Trump administration during a trip to Denton on Wednesday.
“The United States Senate is not the retirement community,” Hunt said. “24 years for an incumbent is long enough.”
Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton speaks at a campaign event in Allen on Feb. 17. He’s running in the Republican primary for U.S. Senate. Eleanor Dearman
Hunt has likely pulled Cornyn and Paxton into a May 26 runoff, though Rottinghaus predicts Hunt won’t appear on the ballot for the second round of voting even though he’s surged in recent months.
Rottinghaus sees a vote for Hunt as a protest vote against Paxton or Cornyn.
“Paxton’s got the insurgent, very conservative MAGA Republicans all sewn up,” Rottinghaus said. “Cornyn is holding onto the establishment, kind of, chamber of commerce Republicans who have traditionally been in charge in Texas since the 2000s, but are losing a grip on the party to a more conservative version of itself.”
There have been signals of Cornyn being pushed to the right. On the campaign trail, he’s embraced Trump. (Cornyn has endorsed Trump in his two election bids, but has also wavered in his enthusiasm.) He’s also adopted anti-Muslim rhetoric that’s being used by GOP candidates across the state this primary season.
Trump has been complimentary of the three Senate candidates but hasn’t endorsed, despite the candidates’ efforts to link themselves to the president and his policies.
Money pours into Senate bids as races heat up
Since early in the election cycle, the Senate Republican primary has been contentious. Beyond Paxton’s alleged legal and personal life troubles, Cornyn has been linked to Crockett and a campaign staffer has been accused of “doxing.” Hunt has been accused of election fraud and missing votes.
But in recent weeks, the Democratic primary has also heated up over purported comments Talarico made about U.S. Rep. Colin Allred and Crockett’s criticisms of a political action committee that’s supporting Talarico and targeting Crockett. Talarico saw a boost after a scuffle between Stephen Colbert and CBS, that resulted in him appearing in a YouTube interview, rather than on the TV air waves.
Many of the jabs in both primaries are being made in political advertisements, where ad spending and reservations have topped $110 million, according to AdImpact. Outside groups make up 70% of the spending and reservations.
The massive sum makes the Texas Senate primary the most expensive primary on record, AdImpact Politics said in a social media post.
🔴Republican ad support:
John Cornyn: $64.0M
Wesley Hunt: $11.4M
Anti-Hunt: $5.4M
Anti-Cornyn: $3.6M
Ken Paxton: $3.6M
🔵Democratic ad support:
James Talarico: $17.6M
Jasmine Crockett: $4.3M https://t.co/A10QsZvEca
— AdImpact Politics (@AdImpact_Pol) February 23, 2026
In the Republican primary, Cornyn has received $64 million in ad support as of Feb. 23. Hunt has received $11.4 million and Paxton $3.6 million.
It takes money to get your message out in a state as big as Texas, Cornyn said in Fort Worth.
Cornyn has raised more than $11 million, in addition to the $14 million from affiliated political action committees, according to the Federal Election Commission. Paxton has raised about $6 million and Hunt has raised about $2 million.
“When I hear my opponents whining — and I think that’s the appropriate word to use — about the fact that they can’t raise money, and we are able to do so, I think they realize that they are losing as a result,” Cornyn said.
A January poll from the Hobby School of Public Affairs at the University of Houston had Paxton 7 points ahead of Cornyn with 38% of votes. Hunt placed third with 17% of votes. The poll put Crockett eight points ahead of Talarico, with 47% of votes.
A poll from The Texas Politics Project at UT Austin released Feb. 23 had Paxton leading Cornyn by two points, with 36% of votes. Hunt had 26%. Crockett led Talarico by 12 points. That day Talarico’s campaign released an internal poll putting him ahead by four points.
On the Democratic side, Talarico has received $17.6 million in ad support to Crockett’s $4.3 million. Talarico raised about $21 million to Crockett’s roughly $9 million, FEC records show.
“We’re going to need someone who can even defy odds when money is thrown at them, because we know the Republicans are going to spend more money than the Democrats,” Crockett told reporters while in Fort Worth. She later added, “You’re going to need a candidate that can break through to people that aren’t paying attention in the traditional spaces, and I think that that’s my strength.”
Looking at the big picture, one thing is clear:
“We can tell Texas is in play,” Rottinghaus said.
Staff writers Rachel Royster and Emily Holshouser contributed to this report.
Fort Worth Star-Telegram
Eleanor (Elly) Dearman is a Texas politics and government reporter for the Fort Worth Star-Telegram. She’s based in Austin, covering the Legislature and its impact on North Texas. She grew up in Denton and has been a reporter for more than six years.
Support my work with a digital subscription