Crockett believes the financial demands of the Senate race could create challenges for Republicans trying to defend other seats across the nation.
SAN ANTONIO — Local political experts say Tuesday night’s primary runoff elections that could reshape both state and San Antonio-area politics heading into November.
One of the most high-profile races was the Republican U.S. Senate runoff between Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton and incumbent John Cornyn. Endorsed by President Donald Trump, Paxton secured a decisive victory with nearly 64% of the vote.
“The future of Texas and the future of America is on the line and I intend to do everything I can to expand our movement,” Paxton said during his victory speech.
Political analysts say the matchup now shifts toward what is expected to be a costly and nationally watched general election battle against Democratic challenger James Talarico.
“Democrats have been looking for the last two decades for the person who’s going to pick off a statewide race,” said Trinity University political science professor David Crockett. “And this is now the next iteration of that and they’re going to pour a lot of money into that.”
Crockett believes the financial demands of the Senate race could create challenges for Republicans trying to defend other seats across the nation.
“That means the more money that the Republicans pour into this Senate race in Texas, the less money is available for other races that also need to win,” Crockett said.
He also touched on potential political consequences in Washington following Cornyn’s defeat. With several outgoing Republicans remaining in office for the next several months, he said some lawmakers may be less willing to support the Trump agenda.
“So if Trump has things he really wants to get done, these are people who may not be inclined to play ball anymore because they have no reason to do that,” Crockett said.
Locally, the Democratic primary runoff for Bexar County District Attorney ended in a tightly contested race with Luz Elena Chapa defeating Jane Davis.
“First and foremost, they want outside change,” Chapa said. “They realize that the office is very broken.”
UT San Antonio political science professor Jon Taylor said the outcome was somewhat surprising given the dynamics of the race.
“I think it was interesting because the conventional money was is that you had an outsider in Davis who was playing that up but also at the same time she was a prosecutor for years versus Judge Chapa who actually ends up winning and had so many endorsements in what was a squeaker of a race between the two,” Taylor said.
As candidates now pivot toward the general election in November, Taylor said there are forces that could influence voters in the months ahead.
“We don’t know about the economy, if it’s going to get worse, if there’s going to be other conflicts, the whole issue of affordability.”