North Texas Daily

Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden won the Texas primary on Tuesday, receiving 32.89 percent of the vote, according to the Texas Secretary of State’s website. 

Biden also won the Democratic primary in Minnesota, Maine, Oklahoma, Arkansas, Tennessee, Alabama, Virginia and North Carolina on Tuesday, according to the New York Times. Last week, Biden secured victory in the Democratic primary in South Carolina, which took place on Feb. 29. 

Coming in second was Bernie Sanders, who captured 29.81 percent of the vote. Though he did not win Texas, Sanders received a majority of votes in California, Utah, Colorado and Vermont and won the Nevada Caucus on Feb. 22, according to NPR. 

Biden quote tweeted a tweet from NBC News projecting Biden to win the Texas Democratic primary, thanking Texas for his win.

“Call it a [win],” Biden said on Twitter. ”Thank you, Texas.”

Criminal justice freshman Casey Stratton, who attended the UNT political science department’s watch party, said he thinks Joe Biden’s history helped him take the lead.

“He’s been a very established candidate,” Stratton said. “He was vice president for eight years. I think the name recognition really makes him stand out.”

Former presidential candidates Amy Klobuchar and Pete Buttigieg, both of whom dropped out before Tuesday’s election, endorsed Joe Biden and spoke at his rally on Monday in Dallas. Beto O’Rourke, who challenged Senator Ted Cruz in 2018, also made an appearance at that rally.

“I will be casting my ballot for Joe Biden,” O’Rourke said at the rally, according to the Dallas Morning News. “We need somebody who can beat Donald Trump … and in Joe Biden, we have that man.”

The only way we beat Trump is through a politics that reflects the decency of the American people,” Buttigieg tweeted on March 2. “It’s what we sought to practice in my campaign — and it’s what [Joe Biden] has practiced his whole life. I’m proud to stand with the VP and help make him our next Commander-in-Chief.”

Texas Democratic Senate race goes into runoff

Mary “M.J.” Hegar will be one of the two Democratic candidates headed for a runoff election in May in the race for the Texas Senate seat, capturing 22.74 percent of the vote. She will run against either Royce West or Cristina Tzintzún Ramirez — as of 8 a.m. Wednesday, Ramirez is at 13.69 percent and West is at 13.62 percent. 

“This runoff will be hard-fought, but I’ve taken on tough fights my whole life,” Hegar tweeted. “… Our focus is the ultimate goal: defeating an 18-year Senator who’s sold out Texans’ health, safety and security to special interests, political bosses and corporate donors. Ours is the only campaign that has what it takes and this runoff is our opportunity to prove it.”

Republican incumbent John Cornyn won the Republican primary, beating out Dwayne Stovall, John Castro, Mark Yancey and Virgil Bierschwale by capturing 76.35 percent of the vote. Stovall had the second-most votes at 12 percent. 

Cornyn first assumed office in 2002 and served as the Senate majority whip from 2013-2019.

“Thank you for entrusting me as the official Republican nominee to keep Texas red,” Cornyn’s official team account tweeted. “The work isn’t finished yet. Onward to November. #KeepTexasRed.”

Other statewide and national races

Former U.S. Attorney General Jeff Sessions was unable to secure a majority of the votes in the race for senator, receiving 31.61 percent of the vote. He will head to a runoff election in May against Auburn University football coach Tommy Tuberville, who received 33.41 percent of the vote. 

Sessions and Tuberville received more votes than Representative Bradley Byrne, who came in third, and Roy Moore, who came in fourth. Moore was previously defeated in the 2017 U.S. Senate election for Alabama by Democrat Doug Jones.

Locally, Wendy Davis, who ran for governor against Greg Abbott in 2014, won her Democratic primary in the race for the 21st Congressional District, which includes portions of Austin and San Antonio. The incumbent, Chip Roy, ran unopposed. 

To see the full results from Tuesday’s election, visit the Texas Secretary of State’s website.

Caleb Akpan, Emma Ream and Lizzy Spangler contributed reporting.

Featured Image: Former vice president and presidential candidate Joe Biden holds a rally in Dallas, Texas on the eve of Super Tuesday on Mar. 2 , 2020. Image by Oscar Lopez