More Texans than usual cast ballots in primary elections

By ED STERLING

AUSTIN — In early voting, Texans participated in greater numbers in the state Democratic primary than the Republican primary, but on Election Day, March 6, the Republican turnout exceeded the Democratic turnout by half a million votes.

Primaries historically have been light-turnout affairs. This time, about 10 percent of the state’s 15 million registered voters cast ballots in the Republican primary and about 7 percent in the Democratic primary. In contrast, in March 2014, 7 percent of the state’s 13 million registered voters cast ballots in the GOP primary and 3 percent cast ballots in the Democratic primary.

Republican voters expressed satisfaction with top incumbents: 90 percent marked their ballots for Gov. Greg Abbott and 76 percent for Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick. GOP incumbents Attorney General Ken Paxton and Comptroller Glenn Hegar ran unopposed. Land Commissioner George P. Bush got 58 percent of the vote and his closest challenger, former state senator and Land Commissioner Jerry Patterson, got 29 percent of the vote. Agriculture Commissioner Sid Miller received 55 percent of the vote, while challengers Jim Hogan and Trey Blocker received about 23 percent and 21 percent, respectively. Railroad Commissioner Christi Craddick received 76 percent of the vote to challenger Weston Martinez’s 24 percent.

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