Amici, a 55-year-old Hispanic and lifelong Democrat in the border city of Laredo, said women\u2019s rights and immigration will be central to her ballot-box picks this year. <\/p>\n
Amici, a volunteer on local arts commissions, bristles at portrayals of the border as chaotic and dangerous. She calls it a misleading image that ignores the culture and daily life of South Texas. <\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s just not like that. The border is beautiful,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n
Together, Varnell and Amici represent prized pieces in Texas\u2019 electoral puzzle, the high-value blocs candidates are chasing ahead of the March 3 primary. But not all carry the same weight, and more than half of Texas\u2019 18 million registered voters may not show up. <\/p>\n
That means campaigns\u2019 winning strategies depend more on targeted appeals than broad messaging, courting select set of voters through ads, mailers and localized outreach.<\/p>\n
That pushes both parties toward powerful yet diverse segments, including suburban voters, women, seniors, border residents, business leaders, churchgoers and working-class families.<\/p>\n
Republicans are leaning into growth, security and smaller government.<\/p>\n
Democrats are stressing safety nets, education, health care and cost relief.<\/p>\n
With Texas\u2019 vast geography and diverse population, campaigns can\u2019t rely on a one-size-fits-all message, said Ren\u00e9e Cross of the Hobby School of Public Affairs at the University of Houston.<\/p>\n
Messages must connect with the priorities of specific groups, she said, noting that talking about capital gains taxes in a blue-collar community would likely fall flat.<\/p>\n
That approach already is playing out in several high-profile contests, including the Texas Senate race. On the GOP side, incumbent Sen. John Cornyn faces Attorney General Ken Paxton and U.S. Rep. Wesley Hunt of Houston in the March 3 primary. <\/p>\n
Democrats are weighing U.S. Rep. Jasmine Crockett of Dallas against state Rep. James Talarico of Austin. <\/p>\n
Other primary matchups, such as attorney general, comptroller and agriculture commissioner, could hinge on small shifts among voters with clear priorities and reliable turnout.<\/p>\n
Economic appeals <\/p>\n
Outside groups are crafting messages to motivate those voters in advance of the primary. <\/p>\n
Texans for Lawsuit Reform, which tends to back conservative causes, promotes lower taxes and pro-business policies as a benefit not just for companies but for families and workers. <\/p>\n
\u201cThe Texas business community represents millions of jobs and the families those jobs support,\u201d CEO Ryan Patrick said. \u201cThe economic engine that powers our great state is built on entrepreneurs and the large companies relocating to Texas.\u201d <\/p>\n
For Democrats, coalition-building has long been tougher as it tries to defend a handful of congressional seats, challenge entrenched Republicans and gain ground in the Legislature.<\/p>\n
A statewide victory, said Katherine Fischer, executive director of the Texas Majority PAC, which works to elect Democrats, requires improvement across nearly every part of the electorate.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe math problem in Texas for Democrats is that there\u2019s not enough of one particular type, or even a few particular types of voters, to where you could only focus on them and still win,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n
Still, Democrats are leaning into messages they believe resonate across different groups, such as public education, affordability, personal freedoms and immigration reform.<\/p>\n
\u201cDemocrats need to provide people with a reason for why they\u2019re struggling,\u201d said Zach Adams, director of political strategy at digital ad firm VDX.tv, which helps Democrats. \u201cThere are real villains out there, people who are exploiting the state for their own personal gain and you have to be willing to name them, regardless of how that impacts your fundraising ability.\u201d <\/p>\n
![\"Primary](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/D5NQJB5VSJHLRNR4JMJGT3WVQE.jpg\")
<\/p>\n
Primary candidates for U.S. Senate, Rep. Jasmine Crockett, D-Texas, right, and Texas state Rep. James Talarico, D-Austin, left, participate in a debate during the Texas AFL-CIO Committee on Political Education Convention, Saturday, Jan. 24, 2026, in Georgetown, Texas. (Bob Daemmrich\/Texas Tribune via AP, Pool)<\/p>\n
Bob Daemmrich \/ AP<\/p>\n
Those themes have marked the Democratic Senate candidates\u2019 early campaign efforts:<\/p>\n
Talarico has aired ads casting himself as a challenger to Trump-era politics and to what he calls \u201cbillionaires and their puppet politicians,\u201d aiming to channel frustration with concentrated wealth and influence.He also launched a Spanish-language spot airing in Univision markets statewide under the tagline \u201c\u00a1Vale La Pena!,\u201d highlighting education and teacher pay.Crockett has rolled out \u201cJuntos con Crockett\u201d digital ads tailored to Hispanic voters, focusing on cultural and community concerns.<\/p>\n
On the Republican side, some activists say voters are growing impatient with political gridlock, even if it means favoring candidates with less experience who promise disruption and change.<\/p>\n
![\"U.S.](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/SP3FEMJQKFHMZKIILHBNO62ERQ.jpg\")
<\/p>\n
U.S. Sen. John Cornyn, R-Texas, is seeking reelection to a fifth six-year term. He faces primary challenges from U.S. Rep. Wesley Hunt, R-Houston, and Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton.<\/p>\n
The Associated Press<\/p>\n
\u201cThere\u2019s a lot of obvious concern\u2026about the extreme sides both parties seem to be on these days,\u201d said Bill Finstad, a GOP precinct chair in North Richland Hills who regularly speaks with conservative suburban voters. <\/p>\n
\u201cThey would like to have politicians work together to accomplish things,\u201d he said. \u201cPeople are saying they deserve to see things get done.\u201d<\/p>\n
Seeking base voters <\/p>\n
GOP Senate candidates have leaned into primary messaging directed at the party\u2019s most reliable conservative voters, especially those with cultural and security concerns:<\/p>\n
Cornyn, in new TV ads, has cast Muslim-linked groups as public safety threats, backing efforts to revoke a major Islamic civil rights organization\u2019s tax status and tying the issue to terrorism.He also has touted his ties to President Donald Trump and his support of tax cuts, tougher immigration enforcement and expanded border security.Paxton has released an AI-generated spot depicting Cornyn alongside Crockett, the Democrat, accusing him of being too close to liberals, a message designed to energize pro-Trump primary voters.<\/p>\n
Away from television screens and digital feeds, voters are telling candidates they want change and clear action on the issues that matter most to them.<\/p>\n
Leslie Barrows, a Republican, hears it across Tarrant County as she knocks on doors in her bid for a countywide family court judgeship.<\/p>\n
Those who consistently answer the door, she said, tend to come with \u201cspecific wishlists,\u201d focusing less on experience and more on policy positions.<\/p>\n
Cross, the Houston researcher, said that for candidates navigating Texas\u2019 political mosaic, meeting those expectations can be key to winning.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhether it\u2019s a politician talking to voters or a business leader talking to a very diverse team,\u201d she said, \u201cit\u2019s important for them to target the message, because otherwise people are just going to tune out.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"AUSTIN – Texans Pam Varnell and Melissa Amici share much in common, both mothers, deeply rooted in their…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":147418,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[6],"tags":[409,223,287,27,29,28,292,8995],"class_list":{"0":"post-147417","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-texas","8":"tag-election","9":"tag-news","10":"tag-politics","11":"tag-texas","12":"tag-texas-headlines","13":"tag-texas-news","14":"tag-texas-politics","15":"tag-voter-resources"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/147417","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=147417"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/147417\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/147418"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=147417"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=147417"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=147417"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}