Primary Turnout Smashes Recent Midterm Records

Nearly 4.5 million Texans voted in the Democratic and Republican primaries, according to The Texas Tribune, surpassing recent turnout numbers. A total of 2.3 million ballots were cast in the Democratic primary and 2.2 million in the Republican primary, marking the first time Democratic turnout was higher since 2020. Texas has approximately 18.7 million registered voters, so turnout was just under 25%.

Voters in both parties can return to the polls in May to decide primary winners in several runoff elections where no candidate garnered a majority: · U.S. Sen. John Cornyn faces challenger Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton. Cornyn received 41.9% of the GOP vote to 40.7% for Paxton in the March 3 primary.

· State Sen. Mayes Middleton, R-Galveston faces U.S. Rep. Chip Roy, R-Austin for the Republican nomination for Texas Attorney General. Middleton led in the primary with 39.1%, while Roy had 31.6%.

· On the Democratic side for attorney general, state Sen. Nathan Johnson, D-Dallas, faces former Galveston Mayor Joe Jaworski. Johnson fell just short of winning a majority with 48.1% in the primary, while Jaworski earned 26.4% of the vote.

· Two Democrats are headed for a runoff for lieutenant governor. State Rep. Vikki Good-win, D-Austin, finished well ahead of Marcos Velez, a Houston labor leader, with 48% of the vote. Velez received 31.5% of the primary vote. The winner will face incumbent GOP Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick.

There are also several runoffs slated in congressional and state house races. The runoffs will be held May 26, with early voting running from May 18-22. Voters cannot cross over to vote in a runoff, meaning if they voted in the Democratic primary, they cannot vote in a GOP runoff, and vice versa. Voters who didn’t cast ballots in either March primary can participate in the runoff of either party.

Gas Prices Spike Sharply in Wake of Iran War 

The price of gasoline rose nearly a dollar per gallon in some cities after the joint U.S.-Israeli attack on Iran last week. The Dallas Morning News reported gas prices are now at their highest level since President Trump took office in January 2025. Oil shipments through the Strait of Hormuz have been largely stalled, greatly reducing production by Asian refiners.

U.S. crude oil prices topped $89 late last week. Since the Friday before the attacks, Brent crude oil, the global benchmark for oil prices, has increased by 24%.

Trump said Friday there will not be a deal to end the U.S.-Iran war without an “unconditional surrender” by Iran.