The Texas Democratic Primary Runoff Races

Election season is far from over, and some Democrats will have to head back to the polls in May.

While the Republican side is awash with dozens of runoff contests, the Democratic Party faces only a few runoff races. Despite the smaller number of contests, these Democratic primary runoffs are still important. These races will determine who will challenge the Republican incumbents and vie for open seats in a state on the verge of flipping.

None of the Democratic primary races in Congress advanced to a runoff.

Senate District 15 (Harris County) - Jarvis Johnson vs. Molly Cook.

This race was jam-packed with eight Democrats each fighting to win John Whitmire’s old seat. Jarvis Johnson pulled in 36% in the primary election, compared to Molly Cook’s 21%. So, they will face each other in May. It’s hard to say which way the votes will swing since there were so many candidates in this race.

Jarvis Johnson already has years of experience as a Texas legislator in the Texas House, so moving to the Senate would seem like a natural progression. On the other hand, I hear many really good things about Molly Cook and that she’s been putting in the work in that district. Neither candidate is problematic, and both would serve this district well. It’s a reliably blue district, so one will be in the Senate in the 89th legislature.

Senate District 30 (Far-North Texas) - Michael Braxton vs. Dale Frey.

Senate District 30 is left open by retiring Republican Senator Drew Springer. SD30 is a +23 Trump district. Based on the demographic trends, Democrats might have a chance of flipping it in several years, but in 2024, the Democrats running here definitely have an uphill battle.

In the Democratic primary for this district, Michael Braxton received 38% of the vote, while Dale Frey received 33%. There was a third Democratic candidate who got 29% of the vote, nearly splitting this race in three parts. So, it’ll be interesting to see how voters in this district go in the May election.

House District 37 (Cameron County) - Ruben Cortez vs. Jonathan Garcia.

This is a +2 Biden district that flipped red in the 2022 election when Republican Janie Lopez won. Many people are expecting HD37 to flip back in 2024.

The race is between Ruben Cortez, who got 32% of the vote, and Jonathan Garcia, who got 25%. Cortez has experience as a previous member of the State Board of Education and on the Brownsville ISD Board. He also ran for this seat in 2022 but lost the primary race. Garcia is an attorney who previously served as Assistant District Attorney and Judge.

Because this seat is expected to flip, I’m interested in watching it. We’ll have to revisit this race before the May election.

House District 77 (El Paso) - Vince Perez vs. Norma Chavez.

HD77 is a seat left open by retiring Representative Lina Ortega. Running to replace her is Vince Perez, a former County Commissioner for El Paso County, and Norma Chavez, who served in the Texas House from 1997 to 2011.

Both of these runoff candidates have government experience. This seat is reliably blue, so one will go to Austin in January. Perez got 38% of the vote in the primary, while Chavez got 32%. We’ll have to revisit this race before the runoff election.

House District 80 (Uvalde and other border counties) - Cecilia Castellano vs. Rosie Cuellar.

This was the seat that long-time serving Democrat Tracy King is reiting from. It’s a 50/50 district that could go one way or the other. Republicans are targeting this district for a flip, while Democrats are targeting this district for a hold. On the Republican side, they also have a runoff election. We should expect to see a lot of money poured into this district from both sides.

In the primary election, Cecilia Castellano received 27% of the vote, while Rosie Cuellar received 25%. Castellano is a business owner and public education advocate. Cuellar is Congressman Henry Cuellar’s sister; she was also a judge in Laredo. HD80 is one race we will probably revisit multiple times before November. It’s crucial for Democrats to hang on to this seat.

House District 97 (Tarrant County) - Diane Symons vs. Dr. Carlos Walker.

Representative Craig Goldman (R) left HD97 open because he’s running for Congress. This seat is flippable in 2026, but the candidate will have to have a highly impactful ground game and raise a lot of money in order for it to flip sooner.

The Democrats in the runoff are Diane Symons, who got 44% of the vote, and Dr. Carlos Walker, who got 35% of the vote. Symons is Opal Lee’s photographer. We met her on the Left in Texas series I did for the primaries. Dr. Walker is a lifelong education champion with many successes, including as a school principal. I invited Dr. Walker on the show, too, but we were never able to connect. I’ll get a one-on-one with him soon.

House District 139 (Harris County) - Angeanette Thibodeaux vs. Charlene Johnson.

As you already know, Jarvis Johnson vacated this seat to run for the Texas Senate. Running to replace him is Angeanette Thibodeaux, who pulled in 33% of the vote, and Charlene Johnson, who pulled in 24% of the vote.

Thibodeaux has worked in the private sector, has worked with community initiatives for years, and is an author. Johnson is a trustee of the Houston Community College Board and the wife of Jarvis Johnson.

House District 146 (Harris County) - Lauren Simmons vs. Shawn Thierry.

This is probably the hottest race on this list. It is the only Democratic race in Texas where the incumbent, Shawn Thierry, was forced into a runoff. The vote in the primary was 49% for Lauren Simmons and 44% for Thierry. 5% went to Ashton Woods, who has already promised to get 100% behind Simmons.

During the last legislative session, Thierry embraced both anti-LGBTQ legislation and threw her support behind book burning. Then, while all of that was going on, news broke of how horrible she treated her staff, which included throwing a flower pot at an intern. Thierry has made quite a bit of enemies, and we should expect to see her lose the runoff election despite the thousands of dollars being poured into her coffers from right-wing donors.

If you didn’t already know, I endorse Simmons:

Lone Star Left Endorses Lauren Ashley Simmons For HD146

This is an exciting year for Texas Democrats.

Aside from having so many great candidates on the ballot, the Republican Party is in complete shambles, which provides us with so much entertainment. Stay tuned and stay voting.

Important 2024 primary RUNOFF election days:

• April 29, 2024: Last day to register to vote.

• May 17, 2024: Last day to apply by mail

• May 20, 2024: First day of early voting.

• May 24, 2024: Last day of early voting.

• May 28, 2024: Last day to receive a ballot by mail.

• May 28, 2024: Election day.

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