State Rep. James Talarico of Austin defeated U.S. Rep. Jasmine Crockett of Dallas for the Democratic nomination for U.S. Senate in Texas, per a race call by the Associated Press.

Why it matters: Talarico's victory sets the stage for a race that promises to be among the most expensive contests of the year, as Democrats hope President Trump's unpopularity translates to red-state victories.

• He will face the winner of a runoff between U.S. Sen. John Cornyn and Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton, a drawn-out battle could deepen party division and drain resources ahead of November.

What they're saying: "Tonight our campaign is shocking the nation," Talarico said last night in Austin.

The latest: Talarico received 53% of the vote and Crockett 45.7% with nearly all polling locations reporting, according to the Associated Press results at 6am.

Friction point: Some voters in Dallas and Williamson counties reported scrambling to find out their polling place and district court judges extended polling hours.

• Later, the Texas Supreme Court ordered the counties to separate any votes cast by voters not in line by 7pm.
• Both counties had closed centralized voting centers, at the request of local Republicans.

What they're saying: "I can tell you now that people have been disenfranchised," Crockett told supporters last night.

Follow the money: The Republican race has already set a record as the most expensive Senate primary in U.S. history, with over $110 million in ad spending, per data by AdImpact.

• Meanwhile, Talarico for TX Senate and Lone Star Rising PAC, a pro-Talarico committee, were slated to spend about $16 million in advertising over last month, per AdImpact.

Between the lines: Trump has so far declined to endorse a Republican candidate in the race.

• Cornyn and his supporters have argued that Paxton could cost the party the election in November because of his legal and ethical baggage, which includes an impeachment trial, federal investigations and accusations of infidelity from his ex-wife, state Sen. Angela Paxton, who filed for divorce last year.
• Meanwhile Paxton has painted the four-term Cornyn as an out-of-touch career politician.

What's next: Early voting for the May 26 runoff will begin May 18.

U.S. Rep. Christian Menefee holds a very narrow lead over longtime Rep. Al Green in the Democratic primary for Houston's 18th Congressional District.

The big picture: If no candidate clears 50%, the race will head to a runoff. For Green, who was first elected in 2004, the stakes are steep after he decided to run in the 18th District when lawmakers redrew his old seat to tilt Republican.

By the numbers: With 87% of the vote counted, Menefee was leading with 46% (40,074 votes) over Green's 44% (38,806 votes) as of 6am, per the Associated Press.

• Amanda Edwards, who ended her campaign after the filing deadline, has 7.6% (6,663 votes), and political newcomer Gretchen Brown has 2% (1,802 votes).

What they're saying: Menefee spoke to supporters Tuesday night acknowledging he was ahead but adding, "It's going to be a long night, y'all."

• Menefee also took Green to task for running a "negative" campaign. "Congressman, you can talk all your trash about me," Menefee said. "I'm going to keep being focused on integrity, on standing firm, on doing the right thing and on serving my communities."

Flashback: In a now-deleted YouTube video from last month, the Congressman called out Menefee for completing a questionnaire from a crypto Super PAC and said Menefee's support from the crypto industry was a "deal with the devil" that aligned him with "Trump crypto cronies."

Zoom out: Green is known for his vocal opposition to President Trump — he filed three failed articles of impeachment during Trump's first term.

Go deeper

Democrats and Republicans appear to both be headed for runoffs in the race for Harris County judge after no candidate passed the 50% threshold Tuesday night.

Why it matters: The race will determine who succeeds Judge Lina Hidalgo, as Republicans push to reclaim control of the nation's third-largest county.

By the numbers: Preliminary vote results as of 6am show Parker leading with 47.1% of the Democratic vote, compared with 36.9% for Letitia Plummer, according to the Harris County Clerk's Office. Matt Salazar has 16%. So far, 240 of 275 voting centers are reporting, with 336,000 Democratic votes counted.

• For Republicans, Orlando Sanchez leads with 26.3%, followed by Warren A. Howell with 20.9%. Marty Lancton has 20.7% and Aliza Dutt has about 18.6% as of 6am. Those numbers reflect 194,600 Republican votes from 265 of 275 voting centers.

The big picture: The open-seat race is one of Texas' most closely watched local races, with both parties eyeing an opportunity in a county that remains politically competitive.

• Abbott has pledged to turn Harris County "dark red" after years of Democratic control.

Zoom in

🗑️ Houston's heavy trash pickup has been paused again, despite previous promises from city leaders to fix delays. (Chron)

🌊 The city of Bellaire approved $69 million for its regional drain improvement project to address flooding. (Community Impact)

🎨 FIFA selected the original Ninfa's on Navigation for the location of Houston's welcome mural for World Cup 2026. (Chron)

Gov. Greg Abbott and state Rep. Gina Hinojosa (D-Austin) will face off in November after each cruised to primary victories. Abbott is seeking a fourth term.

Here are the results of each race, per AP and unofficial vote tallies:

Lieutenant governor

Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick easily won the Republican nomination to seek a fourth term.

• Meanwhile, state Rep. Vikki Goodwin (D-Austin) had 48.1% of the votes and was leading against Marcos Isaias Vélez (31.6%) for the Democratic nomination as of 5:30am.

Attorney general

State Sen. Mayes Middleton of Galveston and U.S. Rep. Chip Roy from outside Austin are headed for a runoff in the Republican race.

• On the Democratic side, state Sen. Nathan Johnson (D-Dallas) was headed to a runoff as of 5:30am with either former Galveston Mayor Joe Jaworski or Dallas attorney Tony Box.

Agriculture commissioner

Rancher Nate Sheets was leading Agriculture Commissioner Sid Miller, who was seeking a fourth term, and declared victory late Tuesday in the Republican primary.

• Clayton Tucker ran unopposed on the Democratic side.

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