The battle between Republicans and Democrats in the United States for control of Congress officially begins March 1, as Texas holds the first primary elections of the year to determine candidates for Congress in November.
Most of the real political competition in Republican-dominated Texas this year will be contests among members of the same party decided by primary voters in March or in runoffs in May, not the general electorate in November.
“The Republicans’ job now is not to beat the Democrats. Their job is to find the nuances in their brand of Republicanism that are going to be able to appeal to voters,” said Zoe Nemerever, an assistant professor of politics at Texas Tech University.
Texas, the second-largest US state, gained two new seats in the US House of Representatives after the 2020 census recorded population growth. Republicans, who control the state legislature, drew new congressional voting maps, adding one new Republican district and one new Democratic district while reducing competitive districts elsewhere.
