About 15.6 percent of Dallas County’s 1,423,689 registered voters cast ballots in the Democratic and Republican primaries Tuesday. As results slowly rolled in, some races were easy to call. Outcomes of other races will wait until a May 28 runoff election.
If you’re keeping track, yes, that means you’ll need to vote on May 4 in a municipal election that includes school board races and a Dallas bond election, and then (possibly) again on May 28, depending on which primary you voted in on Tuesday.
For Texas Senate, Congressman Colin Allred held a comfortable lead throughout the night, and will see Republican incumbent Ted Cruz in November.
“So I have to talk about Dr. King,” Allred said at his watch party at Rodeo Goat last night. “He said that the ultimate measure of a leader isn’t where they stand in moments of comfort and convenience, where they stand in the most challenging moments. We know where Ted Cruz stands when those moments come. When 30 million Texans are freezing in the dark. He decided to go to Cancun. When our democracy was under attack, he was hiding in the supply closet.”
Cruz, on the other hand, did not mention Allred in his post-election statement. “Never before has it been more important to unify and fight against the radical left who threaten to change what makes this state great,” he said.
The senate race had a trickle-down effect in three other local races.
For one, Allred wasn’t the only lawmaker whose decision to run for the Democratic Senate candidacy changed local politics, too. When state Rep. Carl Sherman (D-DeSoto) chose to run for Senate (he received 3.3 percent of the vote statewide), his District 109 seat representing southern Dallas opened up. State Board of Education member Aicha Davis handily beat Victoria Walton Tuesday night with more than 61 percent of the vote. With no Republican challenger, she will now represent that district in Austin.
The race to replace Allred in District 32 appeared at times to be poised for a runoff. In the Democratic primary, state Rep. Julie Johnson maintained a razor-thin margin over the 50 percent threshold throughout the night. Dr. Brian Williams came in at a distant second, but the crowded field (there were 10 candidates, including former City Council Member Kevin Felder) made for an interesting night.
Johnson will have to wait until May to find out who her Republican opponent will be. Former City Council Member David Blewett and Darrell Day hovered in the 40 percent range and will face off in a Republican runoff.
Johnson’s decision to run for Congress also spurred an opening for her current seat representing Texas District 115, which includes Far North Dallas, Coppell, and Irving. Cassandra Hernandez garnered 58.4 percent of Tuesday’s Democratic primary vote, besting Kate Rumsey and Scarlett Cornwallis. She will face Republican John Jun in November.
A snapshot of other local races:
State Senate District 16. Incumbent state Sen. Nathan Johnson had his race against Democratic challenger state Rep. Victoria Neave Criado well in hand, maintaining about 60 percent of the vote throughout the night. With no Republican challenger, he will keep his seat.
“The voters responded,” he said in a statement Wednesday. “They overwhelmingly approve of what we’ve achieved and have said they want me to get back to work. I’m back at it today.”
Dallas County Sheriff. Incumbent Marian Brown had around 42 percent of the vote throughout the night, and former Sheriff Lupe Valdez had 38 percent. With the primary field of five narrowed to two women who have both been called sheriff, this May runoff will bear watching.
State Representative District 100, Dallas. Incumbent Venton Jones faced three challengers in the Democratic primary and maintained the lead at 50.7 percent. He does not face a Republican challenger.
State Representative District 108, Park Cities and Dallas. Incumbent Morgan Meyer and former Dallas City Council candidate Barry Wernick had a relatively close Republican primary race Tuesday night, but Meyer ultimately prevailed with 51.1 percent of the vote. He will face Democrat Elizabeth Ginsberg in the general election.
Other Dallas County races. District 1 County Commissioner Theresa Daniel won the Democratic primary and will face Republican Jason Metcalf. District 3 commissioner John Wiley Price beat local real estate developer Derek Avery by about 80 percent to 20 percent. He does not face a Republican challenger. Incumbent John Ames handily won his primary and also will not face a Republican challenger.
Changes at the county GOP. Allen West—who once was a Florida congressman before moving to Texas, where he was the state GOP chair for a year and ran against Gov. Greg Abbott in 2022—is now the Dallas County Republican Chair, beating incumbent Jennifer Hajdu.
State Representative District 33, Rockwall. Incumbent Justin Holland (incumbent) faced two challengers in the Republican primary: Dennis London and former Donald Trump spokeswoman Katrina Pierson. He faces Pierson in a May runoff, with both pulling about 39 percent of the vote.
State Representative District 61, McKinney. Incumbent Frederick Frazier received 32 percent of the vote, failing to capture a majority in the Republican runoff. He’ll face Keresa Richardson, who received about 40 percent, in the runoff.
State Representative District 67, Allen. Incumbent Jeff Leach easily retained his seat after the Republican primary. In November, he’ll face Democratic primary winner Makala Washington.
State Representative District 112, Richardson. Incumbent Angie Chen Button captured 72 percent in the Republican primary race and will face former Miss Texas Averie Bishop, who is running as a Democrat, in November.
Other congressional races. Democrat Sam Eppler faces incumbent Beth Van Duyne in the general election for Congressional District 24. Brandon Gill, the son-in-law of Dinesh D’Souza who had the backing of Donald Trump and Ted Cruz, bested a crowded nine-person field that included Southlake Mayor John Huffman to take the Republican nomination for Congressional District 26. He’ll face Democrat Ernest Lineberger III in November.
Congresswoman Jasmine Crockett beat both Jarred Davis to continue representing District 30. She does not face a Republican challenger. In Congressional District 33, Democratic incumbent Marc Veasey took 68 percent of the vote and will face Patrick David Gillespie in November.
The percentage of registered voters who cast ballots in Dallas County was greater than the state’s 14.4 percent. Democrats outpaced Republican votes in Dallas County, too—with GOP turnout coming in at 7.11 percent and Democrat turnout at 8.54 percent. That was not the case statewide, where turnout was 10.06 percent and 4.36 percent in the Republican and Democratic primaries, respectively.
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