2022 Primary Election Recap

BY GRANT TRAMMELL

The Texas primary election was held on Tuesday, March 1, 2022. The combined statewide turnout was about 17.4% with 11.3% of registered Republican voters and 6.15% of registered Democratic voters turning out to vote in the primary election. While the combined turnout number of 17.4% may seem low when compared to what we typically see in November, it actually set a record for the total number of voters in a Texas gubernatorial primary. However, even with a record number of ballots cast, we still had more than 14 million registered voters who did not vote. So, while we are happy to see more Texans voting in the primary, there is still an opportunity to increase turnout in the future.

It was another very successful election for HAR Recommended Candidates who had a total of 24 wins and just 2 losses in contested races. In Congress, Rep. Dan Crenshaw, Rep. Randy Weber, and Rep. Troy Nehls each won their contested primaries outright and will advance to the general election. In the state Senate, Sen. John Whitmire and current state Rep. Mayes Middleton also won both of their contested primary elections outright. All HAR Recommended Candidates in the state House of Representatives won their primary elections outright.

Our only two losing candidates were at the county level. First, in Fort Bend County, incumbent Commissioner for Precinct 4, Ken DeMerchant, was unseated after not making the runoff in his race. Community Advocates Neeta Sane and Dexter McCoy now face off in the runoff election to determine the Democratic nominee in the general election. In Montgomery County, Commissioner James Metts was defeated outright by Construction Project Manager Matt Gray, who does not face opposition in the general election and will be the next Montgomery County Commissioner in Precinct 4.

Next up on the election calendar are local elections with Election Day being May 7 followed by the primary runoff elections on May 24. For questions regarding elections please call HAR Political Affairs at (713) 629-1900 ext. 1287.

DEBORAH SPANGLER

2022 Political Affairs Co-Chair Spangler Realty Group

DANIELA SUMBERA

2022 Political Affairs Co-Chair Keller Williams Realty Northeast

KAREN DRISCOLL Director of Political Affairs 713.629.1900 ext. 1271 karen@har.com