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Statewide Races Offer A Better Look – But Few Surprises – In The March Primary

Gabriel C. Pérez

We’re a little bit closer to knowing who will be on the ballot in November. Republicans and Democrats selected most of their nominees for the general election this fall, but statewide, the races didn't quite live up to the hype. Of the highest offices on Texas ballots, only one went to a runoff. 

U.S. Senate

Even though it wasn’t official until now, the expected race between incumbent Republican . and Democratic El Paso Congressman  is on.

Cruz had more than 85 percent of the vote in the Republican primary, while O’Rourke go more than 60 percent of the vote – nearly two-and-a-half times the amount of his nearest Democratic opponent, Sema Hernandez.

Governor

On the Republican side, Gov.  unsurprisingly won his party’s nomination to run for a second term, with 90 percent of the vote.

It appears Democrats  and  will face off to determine who will oppose the well-funded incumbent GOP governor.

Lieutenant Governor

Lt. Gov.  bested his primary challenger, , by a two-to-one margin. Patrick will face Democrat Mike Collier in November.

Attorney General

Incumbent Attorney General  and Democratic challenger  were unopposed in their primaries.

Comptroller of Public Accounts

With no Republican primary opponent, incumbent Comptroller  had a clear path to the November ballot, but Democratic voters picked Democrat  to challenge him in November.

Land Commissioner

Current  Land CommissionerGeorge P. Bush marshaled nearly twice as many votes as his high-profile Republican challenger, former Land Commissioner , in a race that some predicted Bush could lose. An audit suggested his office mismanaged the Alamo, and opponents said he gave preferential treatment to a campaign donor in a  selection process for a state contract

Bush will face , who handily beat his opponent, Tex Morgan.

Commissioner of Agriculture

Agriculture Commissioner  defeated Republican challengers  and Jim Hogan with a little over 56 percent of the vote. 

He’ll face Democrat  in November.

Railroad Commissioner

Current  Railroad Commissioner  easily won her GOP primary last. She’ll take on Democrat .

Copyright 2020 KUT 90.5. To see more, visit .

Ben Philpott covers politics and policy for KUT 90.5 FM. He has been covering state politics and dozens of other topics for the station since 2002. He's been recognized for outstanding radio journalism by the Radio and Television News Directors Association, Public Radio News Directors Incorporated, the Texas Associated Press Broadcasters and twice by the Houston Press Club as Radio Journalist of the Year. Before moving to Texas, he worked in public radio in Birmingham and Tuscaloosa, Ala., and at several television stations in Alabama and Tennessee. Born in New York City and raised in Chattanooga, Tenn., Philpott graduated from the University of Alabama with a degree in broadcast journalism.