Texas state Rep. James Talarico of Austin defeated U.S. Rep. Jasmine Crockett of Dallas for the Democratic nomination for U.S. Senate in Texas.
Why it matters: Talarico's victory sets the stage for a battle royal that promises to be among the most expensive contests of the year, as Democrats hope President Trump's unpopularity translates to red-state victories.
- It also further raises the profile of Talarico, a media darling who has framed his argument against Republicans in terms of his Christian faith.
What they're saying: "Tonight our campaign is shocking the nation," Talarico said Tuesday night in Austin.
The latest: Crockett issued a statement Wednesday conceding the race to Talarico and called on the party to unify behind him.
- As of 8:30am CST Wednesday, Talarico had 53% of the vote, and Crockett 45.7%, per results from 87% of polling locations statewide according to the Texas Secretary of State's Office.
The intrigue: Voting in Dallas County, Crockett's home base, was wracked with confusion.
- Ahead of the election, Dallas and Williamson counties had closed centralized voting centers, which had been commonly used by voters of both parties, at the behest of local Republicans.
- Some voters reported scrambling to figure out their polling place and district court judges extended polling hours in both counties.
- But late Tuesday the Texas Supreme Court ordered the counties to separate any votes cast by voters not in line by 7pm.
- "I can tell you now that people have been disenfranchised," Crockett told supporters Tuesday night.
Context: Texas has not elected a Democratic candidate statewide since 1994.
Follow the money: Ahead of the final weeks of the race, Talarico's campaign had $4.8 million and Crockett's campaign had $3.5 million in cash on hand, per the most recent campaign finance filings.
- On top of that, millions of dollars flooded the race from political action committees supporting the candidates.
- Talarico for TX Senate and Lone Star Rising PAC, a pro-Talarico committee, were slated to spend about $16 million in advertising over the final month of the race, per data from advertising analytics site AdImpact.
- Over the same period, Crockett for TX Senate was scheduled to spend about $3.5 million, with another $500,000 from the Texas Forward PAC, per AdImpact.
What's next: Talarico will face the winner of a Republican primary runoff between U.S. Sen. John Cornyn and Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton.
Flashback: Colbert defies CBS over interview with Texas Senate candidate
