How geography played into the results of Texas' US Senate Democratic primary
Despite a crowded field of nine candidates, Congressman Colin Allred won outright in Tuesday's Democratic primary in Texas, and he will face incumbent Republican Sen. Ted Cruz in November.
AUSTIN (KXAN) — Despite a crowded field of nine candidates, Congressman Colin Allred won outright in Tuesday's Democratic primary in Texas, and he will face incumbent Republican Sen. Ted Cruz in November.
Cruz received 88.31% of votes in Tuesday's Republican primary.
Allred, who represents Texas' 32nd Congressional District in parts of Dallas, Collin and Denton counties, received 58.84% of the vote, well above the threshold to avoid a runoff.
State Rep. Roland Gutierrez came second, with 16.65% of the vote, ahead of former Nueces County District Attorney Mark Gonzalez, who received 8.81% of the vote. All other candidates received less than 5% of the vote each.
There were noticeable geographic coalitions of support in the results. Allred received the most votes in 200 of Texas' 254 counties, including 22 counties in which he received at least 75% of all votes. Dallas, Tarrant, Collin and Denton counties, all in the Dallas/Fort Worth Metroplex, all gave him at least 75% support in the primary.
He also won the most votes in the Houston and Austin metro areas, as well as in Bexar County, home to San Antonio.
Gutierrez received the most votes in 26 counties, primarily in Texas' border region with Mexico. The state representative's district includes parts of San Antonio and also includes Eagle Pass and Uvalde. He had campaigned on stricter gun control laws in the wake of the Robb Elementary School shooting in Uvalde. His strongest support was in Uvalde County itself, where he received 69.09% of the county's 812 votes.
Gonzalez won 16 counties, including a handful in West Texas. His strongest support was in the Corpus Christi area, where he previously served as district attorney in Nueces County. He received 31.12% of the vote in that county, but performed better in neighboring Jim Wells County, where he won 50.02% of votes.
Meri Gomez was the only other candidate to receive the most votes in a single county. She won a plurality of votes, 26.21%, in Ward County, southwest of Midland/Odessa.
Allred will face Cruz in November's general election.