Democrats have cast more ballots than Republicans in Harris County primaries
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Illustration: Allie Carl/Axios
More Harris County voters have cast ballots in the Democratic primary than in the Republican primary during early voting.
Why it matters: High Democratic turnout in March could signal greater Democratic turnout in the November midterm election.
Catch up quick: The primaries determine the Republican and Democratic candidates for November's election for U.S. Senate, all 38 members of the U.S. House, governor, Texas attorney general, and other statewide positions.
Driving the news: More than 192,400 Harris County voters had cast ballots in person or via mail during early voting as of Tuesday, per preliminary data from the Harris County Clerk's Office.
- Nearly 120,300 of those votes were cast in a Democratic primary race, with more than 72,100 cast in a Republican race.
Flashback: In March 2022, the last midterm primary election, more than 168,100 Harris County voters cast ballots in the Democratic primary overall, with nearly 189,200 ballots cast in the Republican primary.
- While Democratic voters are outpacing Republicans this year, overall turnout is on pace to see fewer primary voters than in 2022 by about 40,000, according to an Axios analysis.
The big picture: Nearly 1.5 million Texans had cast ballots in person or via mail as of Tuesday, a pace that could surpass turnout during the 2022 gubernatorial primary.
- Through the first eight days of early voting, Democratic turnout was nearing the party's total turnout during the 2024 presidential primary.
Zoom in: Typically, Republican turnout exceeds Democratic turnout in Texas. A Democrat last won statewide office in Texas in 1994, the longest statewide Democratic election drought in the nation.
Yes, but: More than 638,000 Texans had voted in the Democratic primary as of Monday.
- Nearly 594,000 voters had cast ballots in the Republican primary.
What's next: Friday is the last day to vote early. Here's where you can cast your ballot in Harris County.
- Election day is March 3.