Texas Sen. John Cornyn easily survived a primary challenge to secure the GOP nomination for a third term, while Republican Greg Abbott and Democrat Wendy Davis coasted in their gubernatorial primaries in the Lone Star State on Tuesday.
The Associated Press called the race for Cornyn shortly after polls closed, reporting the incumbent senator received well over the 50 percent threshold needed to avoid a runoff in May.
Cornyn’s closest challenger in the primary was Rep. Steve Stockman, who seemed poised to at least cause a headache for Cornyn by running as a more conservative alternative in the deeply red state. But a lack of fundraising and absence from the campaign trail left Stockman supporters questioning why he decided to leave his seat in the House.
Likewise, neither Abbott nor Davis faced serious challenges in their respective gubernatorial primaries. Abbott, the state’s attorney general, earned more than 90 percent of GOP support, according to the AP. He is vying to succeed longtime Gov. Rick Perry, who decided not to seek re-election after 14 years in office.
State Sen. Wendy Davis also cruised to an easy victory in the Democratic primary. She now faces the much more difficult task of defeating a Republican in Texas — where a Democrat has not won statewide office since 1994.
George P. Bush, son of former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush, also won the Republican primary in the race for Texas Land Commissioner, paving his way to win the seat that has traditionally served as a launching pad for state politics.
The Texas contests marked the first primary of the 2014 midterms.