Texas Holds First 2018 Primary Amid Surge of Democratic Voters

By Andrew O'Reilly
Fox News
Mar. 06, 2018

The midterm election season officially kicks off on Tuesday, when Texas voters head to the polls for the nation’s first primary of 2018.

With early voting already suggesting a record turnout for Democrats, and widespread speculation about what effect an endorsement by President Trump will have on Republican candidates, the Texas primaries are being looked at as both a bellwether for the rest of the nation - and a sign the red state could be turning purple more quickly than expected.

Texas Republicans: if you don’t like this score you can change it tomorrow. Go vote on Tuesday & take someone else to go vote. If you’ve already voted call 2 people and get them to go vote. Let’s #KeepTexasRed. #tcot @TexasGOP pic.twitter.com/BZesA3M0EA
— Greg Abbott (@GregAbbott_TX) March 5, 2018

“What these primaries really boil down to is one issue: Trump versus anti-Trump,” Cal Jillson, a political science professor at Southern Methodist University, told Fox News. “There is relatively little talk about the issues for either party. It’s a race to the margins. Democrats are all against the president, while with Republicans it’s about staying close to Trump, and whether that hurts or helps them.”

While initially skipping some major Republican candidates in the Lone Star state, Trump went all in early last week when, in a series of tweets, supported a number of top-tier Texas Republicans.

"I want to encourage all of my many Texas friends to vote in the primary for Governor Greg Abbott, Senator Ted Cruz, Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick, and Attorney General Ken Paxton. They are helping me to Make America Great Again! Vote early or on March 6th," Trump tweeted.

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