Midterm Primary Results in Texas and North Carolina

The 2026 midterm primary season is already well underway. These elections will determine which candidates will represent their parties in the upcoming midterm elections in November. Those November elections will affect many important Congressional seats and could determine which political party holds a majority of seats in Congress. Here, Election Central takes a closer look at two interesting midterm primaries: Texas and North Carolina. 

Texas Primary Results 

On March 3, 2026, Texas Republicans and Democrats both held exciting primary elections. The Republican side saw a showdown between incumbent Senator John Cornyn, and his challenger–state Attorney General Ken Paxton. On the night of the primary votes, Cornyn did better in the major cities, such as Dallas, while Paxton gained a lead in suburban counties. The counties where Paxton won were also those that leaned most heavily Trump in 2024. However, neither candidate was able to secure more than 50 percent of the total votes cast. That means that they will face a runoff election in May.  

On the Democratic side, however, there was a clear victory. State Representative James Talarico defeated U.S. Representative Jasmine Crockett. Crockett was the incumbent who was trying to win reelection. Talarico is a Presbyterian seminarian and former teacher. His campaign focused on a message of unity, change, and Christian faith. In contrast, Crockett has become widely known for her unapologetic attacks on Trump and Congressional Republicans.  

Traditionally, primaries tend to favor more extreme candidates over moderate ones Talarico challenged that expectation with a strategy that included reaching out to former Trump voters who might be fed up with corruption in government. He carried the precincts with the largest Hispanic populations. Crockett held the majority in the state’s urban centers, such as Houston and Dallas, which carry the highest share of the state’s African American population. Former Vice President Kamala Harris, who had previously endorsed Crockett, ultimately supported Talarico as well.  

Talarico will face either Cornyn or Paxton in the November general election. Democrats have not won a statewide race in Texas in more than thirty years. 

North Carolina’s Results 

Meanwhile, in the North Carolina primaries, several Democratic and Republican incumbents lost their seats to challengers. This suggests that voters on both sides of the political aisle are ready for new leadership. Many of the state’s campaign races set new records for spending in a primary election. In the 1^st District, for example, five Republican hopefuls battled each other for a chance to run against incumbent Democrat Don Davis in November. The winner, Laurie Buckhout, spent over $1 million on campaign advertisements alone.  

President Trump endorsed several candidates in North Carolina. But there were mixed results. This made it more difficult to draw conclusions about whether Trump’s endorsement hurts or helps a candidate in that state. Former Republican National Committee chairman Michael Whatley–who was endorsed by the president–easily won his campaign for U.S. Senate. He secured more votes than the other six candidates combined.  

However, incumbent North Carolina Senate leader Phil Berger, who also was endorsed by Trump, enjoyed no such victory. This is despite being one of the most powerful Republican politicians in the state. On Election Day, Page beat Berger by 23 votes. Berger filed protests in several North Carolina counties, claiming that some voters were given the wrong ballot. The State Board of Elections is investigating the case as well. 

Dig Deeper When do primary elections happen in your state? Visit the U.S. Vote Foundation at  https://www.usvotefoundation.org/primary-election-dates to help you find the date of the next upcoming one.