Democrats outpace Republicans in first week of early voting turnout in North Texas
Democrats outpace Republicans in Texas early voting turnout
Through one week of early voting in Texas primaries, far more Democrats have cast ballots than Republican voters. FOX 4's Steven Dial has more.
DALLAS - After a week of early voting for Texas primaries, the turnout shows more Democrats have voted than Republicans in several North Texas counties.
What we know:
Voter turnout in the 2026 Texas primaries has been a big talking point for both parties. After a week of early voting, the numbers in both Dallas County and Tarrant County show that Democrats have cast more votes than Republican voters.
Dallas County early voting numbers
Dallas County has seen nearly 78,000 Democrats cast a vote through six days of early voting. That's more than three times as many votes cast by Democrats in the same period in both 2022 and 2024 early voting.
Republican voters also saw a slight increase from 2024 turnout, with more than 15,000 casting early votes through six days.
Tarrant County early voting numbers
Tarrant County is a similar story. The typically Republican-held county saw nearly 56,000 Democrats vote in the first week of early voting, a significant increase from 2024 numbers.
Republicans also saw an increase in early voter turnout from 2024, but still trailed Democrat voters by more than 10,000 votes over the first six days.
Dig deeper:
The surge in Democrats voting early in Tarrant County comes in the wake of Democrat Taylor Rehmet winning a runoff election for a Texas Senate seat in January.
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Rehmet beat Republican nominee Leigh Wambsganss by double digits in a county President Donald Trump won by double digits himself in 2024.
Democrats in Harris County have also reported record turnout through the first week. Other North Texas counties, like Collin County and Denton County, have seen an even turnout between the parties.
What's driving Democratic turnout?
What they're saying:
Why have Democrats outpaced Republicans in early voting? Mark Jones, a political analyst at Rice University, points to a competitive Senate race between James Talarico and Jasmine Crockett.
"The Crockett/Talarico race is clearly driving democratic turnout much more than any other race," Jones told FOX 4's Steven Dial. "That's like having UT vs. A&M. Previous Democratic primaries were more like SMU vs. UNT.
State Representative James Talarico, a Democrat from Texas and US Senate candidate, left, and Representative Jasmine Crockett, a Democrat from Texas and US Senate candidate, shake hands during a debate at the 2026 Texas AFL-CIO COPE Convention in Geo
Kendall Scudder, Texas Democratic Party Chair, joined FOX 4's Steven Dial on Battleground Texas to discuss the early turnout from Democrats in the Texas primaries.
"Republicans usually outvote us 70-30, 65-35. The fact that we are ahead of them right now in early voting shows that Democrats across the state are ready to turn out and vote," Scudder told Dial.
Surge in Democrats voting early in Texas primaries | Battleground Texas
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"There's a huge enthusiasm gap right now. Democrats are ready. We are sick and tired of the way this government has been operating on a national level and on a state level. And we're ready to take it back for working-class people," he continued.
Will Democrats still turn out in November if their preferred Senate candidate loses?
"I have 100% confidence that they will both be at the table doing everything they can to make sure that the entire Democratic ticket is performing and winning elections," Scudder said. "I'll remind you. This is not the dirtiest primary we have seen in Texas. I would argue that the Republican primary on the other side right now is much nastier."
Cornyn warns GOP voters
Recently, Republican Senate candidate John Cornyn warned GOP voters they could lose the Senate seat he's held since 2002 if voters choose Ken Paxton as their candidate.
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As early voting in Texas enters its second day, veteran Republican Sen. John Cornyn is warning voters that the GOP could lose control of the Senate if they are "not careful."
"I think I am a lot more effective than I was when I first started. Thank God I am healthy," the senator said. "I love my job, I love this great state, and I am not willing to stand on the sideline and see it destroyed by nominating a flawed candidate like Ken Paxton."
Despite outspending Paxton in the race, Cornyn is trailing in the polls. Regardless, he told FOX 4 he's still in the battle.
"The election is still in front of us. The campaign continues," Cornyn said. "This is the first time the attorney general has come out of his basement to confront the public."
What's next:
Early voting will continue through Feb. 27, with election day on March 3.
The Source: Information in this story came from FOX 4 reporting.