Texas Primary Run-Off Results

The National Republican Congressional Committee (NRCC) is a political committee devoted to maintaining and increasing the 239-member Republican majority in the U.S. House of Representatives.

 One thing Texans don’t want: More of the failed policies Democrats are pushing in Washington. But that’s exactly the agenda Democrats are selling in two districts they claim they can win, but that have slipped further and further out of reach this cycle. The runoff results from Tuesday only confirm that Republicans are poised to hold important seats in Texas where Democrats are running boiler-plate liberals,one of whom has already been rejected by voters. These Democrat candidates will face major challenges because of their support for the already failed agenda coming out of Washington. Texas families are in no mood to embrace the same policies that have hurt job growth and stifled economic opportunity.

INCUMBENT

TX-23: Rep. Quico Canseco (R) vs. Pete Gallego (D)

The Democrats’ plan in this race has gone wrong at nearly every turn. Congressman Canseco entered this cycle as one of the Democrats’ top targets in the country. Steve Israel and Nancy Pelosi went to great pains to recruit Pete Gallego into the race, elevating him in their “Red to Blue” program. But things quickly went south as Gallego found himself drawn into a protracted primary fight with ex-Rep. Ciro Rodriguez. After Gallego’s lackluster performance in the May 29 primary, these two candidates extended their race-to-the-left through a two month runoff.

This has ruined Gallego’s plan of portraying himself as a moderate against Congressman Canseco, as the primary and runoff pushed him further and further to the left. Gallego emerges battered, bruised, and his resources decimated. His record only makes matters worse. In his 20 years in the Texas House, Gallego has only broken with Democrats when he didn’t think their policies were extreme enough. Gallego refuses to support repealing ObamaCare. Gallego has gone so far as to call President Obama “dynamic.” It’s no wonder that liberal anti-energy groups like the Sierra Club have poured hundreds of thousands of dollars into his campaign.

His first term in Congress, Quico Canseco has remained true to the promise he made to Texas families that he would be a check-and-balance on Washington. This will provide a dramatic contrast to Gallego’s uber liberal platform that even national Democrats know is toxic.

District Facts: PVI R+6, McCain 49%; Anchored in San Antonio, post redistricting the 23rd will see some significant changes. The addition of six Permian Basin counties give Canseco opportunities for a new West Texas constituency, but maintains its 785 miles of border between Texas and Mexico.

OPEN SEAT

TX-14: Randy Weber (R) vs. Nick Lampson (D)

Ex-Rep. Nick Lampson has already been rejected twice by Texas voters in two different districts, and now he’s on track for a third rejection. Voters in Texas’ 14th district aren’t looking for a rubber stamp for President Obama’s agenda. The contrast couldn’t be more clear between Lampson’s failed record and Republican Randy Weber’s pro-business, pro-jobs agenda. Weber started his air conditioning company, Weber’s Air & Heat, in 1981 from scratch, and grew his business by demonstrating the work ethic of a true Texan. It’s Weber’s real-world experience in the private sector that underpins his commitment to lower taxes and less wasteful spending. If there was any doubt, just look at what the San Antonio News-Express had to say about the race:

“Although former Rep. Nick Lampson, D-Beaumont, is expected to emerge with the Democratic nomination, he will have to convince staunch conservatives to elect him in the Republican-leaning 14th Congressional District in the fall. ‘(The) seat is about as Republican as the state,’ said Kyle Kondik, a University of Virginia analyst of House race.”

District Facts: R+9; McCain 57%; The Cook Political Report rates this race as Likely Republican; Rothenberg Political Report rates it Safe Republican. The new district represents five ports in Texas, making it a true Gulf Coast seat. The demographics of the 14th divide between East and West. Eastern part consists of the Beaumont/Port Arthur area within Jefferson County, and the western part combining Galveston and Lake Jackson in Brazoria County.

ROUNDUP

The following are the unofficial results from Tuesday’s runoff election in Texas. These results are unofficial and incomplete.

TX-14 REP Runoff

282 of 282 Precincts Reporting - 100%

Randy Weber 63%

Felicia Harris 37%

TX-23 DEM Runoff

257 of 307 Precincts Reporting - 88%

Pete Gallego 54%

Ciro Rodriguez 46%