Key Super Tuesday Results in Alabama, North Carolina and Texas Congressional Races
March 6, 2024 · 1:18 AM EST
With the presidential primaries on cruise control, a couple dozen consequential congressional primaries on Super Tuesday either helped set the stage of competitive general elections or effectively elected a new member of Congress by choosing a winner in a solid district.
Since California takes awhile to count votes, here are some key primary results in Alabama, North Carolina and Texas. We’ll tackle California House races in another post.
Alabama House.
1st District (Southern Alabama) Jerry Carl, R, re-elected 84%. Trump 75%. Rep. Barry Moore defeated fellow Rep. Jerry Carl, 52-48 percent. Carl is the first incumbent to lose re-election this cycle, but the circumstances are unique given that the district was redrawn by court order. The result is a slight upset; Carl represented more of the new district than Moore did, but Moore had outside support from the Club for Growth. Solid Republican.
2nd District (Mobile, Montgomery, and eastern Black Belt) Open; Barry Moore, running in 1st District. Biden 56%. Shomari Figures and Anthony Daniels are heading for a April 16 runoff for the Democratic nomination in this newly-drawn district. Figures led the initial race 44-22 percent. On the GOP side, former state Sen. Dick Brewbaker and attorney Caroleene Dobson are also headed to a runoff. Likely Democratic.
California Senate.
Open; Laphonza Butler (D) not seeking re-election. Democratic Rep. Adam Schiff will face former baseball star/Republican Steve Garvey in the November general election. Schiff and Garvey led the field with 37 percent and 29 percent, with 42 percent of the estimated vote counted. Democratic Reps. Katie Porter (15 percent) and Barbara Lee (7 percent) lagged behind in third and fourth place. Schiff’s shrewd campaign strategy of elevating Garvey by “attacking” him as a conservative allowed Garvey to consolidate Republican voters. That means Schiff is the prohibitive favorite in November, rather than facing Porter in an uncertain race in which Republican voters would not have had a clear option. Schiff is the first member of the Likely New Senators club. Solid Democratic.
North Carolina Governor.
Open; Roy Cooper, D, term-limited. Democratic attorney general Josh Stein and Republican Lieutenant Governor Mark Robinson handily won their primaries with 70 and 65 percent, respectively. This is the marquee gubernatorial matchup of the cycle, with Democrats salivating at the chance to litigate the homophobic, misogynistic, and anti-Semitic remarks Robinson has made over the years. Toss-up.
North Carolina House.
1st District (Inland northeastern North Carolina) Don Davis, D, elected 52%. Biden 50.4%. Retired U.S. Army Col. Laurie Buckout won the GOP nomination and will face Democratic Rep. Don Davis in the general election in a district Republicans drew to defeat the congressman. This should be one of the most competitive races in the country. Toss-up.
6th District (Central Piedmont region) Open; Kathy Manning, D, not seeking re-election. Trump 57%. It looks like health care lobbyist Addison McDowell against former Rep. Mark Walker in a runoff. They lead the field with 26 percent and 24 percent, with 99 percent of the estimated vote counted. Christian Castelli is in third with 22 percent. Likely Republican.
8th District (Eastern Charlotte suburbs and rural areas east of Charlotte) Open; Dan Bishop, R, running for attorney general. Trump 58%. At 30.4 percent, Mark Harris, the pastor who was the 2018 nominee for this seat, is just above the threshold to avoid a runoff, with 97 percent of the estimated vote counted. Allan Baucom is in second with 27 percent. Solid Republican.
10th District (Winston-Salem and western Piedmont region) Open; Patrick McHenry, R, not seeking re-election. Trump 57%. Former Green Beret Pat Harrigan won the GOP nomination with 41 percent, with 83 percent of the estimated vote counted. State Rep. Grey Mills finished a close second at 39 percent. Harrigan will be a member of Congress next year. Solid Republican.
13th District (Raleigh exurbs and nearby rural areas) Open; Wiley Nickel, D, not seeking re-election. Trump 58%. 2022 candidate Kelly Daughtry (27 percent) and former federal prosecutor Brad Knott (19 percent) are headed for a runoff. Likely Republican
14th District (Western Charlotte and western foothills) Open; Jeff Jackson, D, running for attorney general. Trump 57%. State House Speaker Tim Moore won the GOP primary with 75 percent and will be a member of Congress next year. Likely Republican.
Texas Senate.
Ted Cruz (R) elected 2012 (56%), 2018 (51%). Rep. Colin Allred not only won the Democratic nomination, but did it without a runoff. With 76 percent of the estimated vote reporting, Allred outpaced state Rep. Roland Gutierrez 69-17 percent. The outcome allows Allred to focus on Cruz in the general election, in the GOP’s only vulnerability on the current Senate battleground map. Likely Republican.
Texas House.
7th District (Southwest Houston and Houston suburbs) Lizzie Fletcher, D, re-elected 64%. Biden 60%. Rep. Lizzie Fletcher faced down progressive challenger Pervez Agwan, 73-27 percent, in the Democratic primary, with 70 percent of the estimated vote in. Solid Democratic.
12th District (Western Fort Worth and western suburbs) Open; Kay Granger, R, not seeking re-election. Trump 58%. State Rep. Craig Goldman leads construction company owner John O’Shea, 46-26 percent, with 91 percent of the estimated vote counted. As expected, Goldman is the frontrunner, but this race could go to a runoff. Solid Republican.
18th District (Parts of central and northern Houston) Sheila Jackson Lee, D, elected 71%. Biden 74%. Jackson Lee led challenger Amanda Edwards, 62-36 percent, in the Democratic primary with 74 percent of the estimated vote counted. Jackson Lee’s failed run for mayor of Houston complicated the race, but the congresswoman prevailed over an upstart challenger. Solid Democratic.
23rd District (San Antonio suburbs to El Paso suburbs) Tony Gonzales, R, re-elected 56%. Trump 53%. Gonzales was forced into a runoff with YouTuber Brendan Herrera after falling 4 points short of the 50 percent threshold. Herrera received 24 percent. Gonzales was rebuked by the state Republican party for his votes on a gun bill and gay marriage. Solid Republican.
26th District (Northern Fort Worth suburbs and exurbs) Open; Michael Burgess, R, not seeking re-election. Trump 59%. Brandon Gill, Dinesh D’Souza’s son-in-law, will be a member of Congress after winning the GOP primary with 58 percent over a field that included Scott Armey, Dick Armey’s son. Solid Republican.
32nd District (Northern Dallas) Open; Colin Allred, D, running for U.S. Senate. Biden 66%. State Rep. Julie Johnson leads trauma surgeon Brian Williams, 51-20 percent, with 72 percent of the estimated vote counted. It looks like the question is whether Johnson can avoid a runoff. Solid Democratic.