Labor wins big on primary election night. Texas is just getting started.

Something shifted in Texas on Tuesday night, and labor felt it first.

Across the state, union members, working families, and first-time voters sent a clear message: the working class is done sitting on the sidelines. Labor-backed candidates won races up and down the ballot, and the energy that has been building in our movement for years has found its fullest expression yet at the polls. This is what it looks like when workers decide to fight for themselves and decide that Texas needs leaders who fight for the people who keep this state running.

Voter turnout told part of the story before the first race was called. Democrats cast ballots at a rate that outpaced even the 2024 presidential primary, with early data showing a significant surge in Latino-majority counties and more than a quarter of Democratic primary voters showing up in March who had only ever voted in November before. What we're seeing across the country, and what's happening in Texas, is not typical voter turnout for midterm elections. It suggests an electorate that is energized and, in many cases, showing up for the first time in a non-presidential year.

Headed to the general election

Statewide, Texas State Rep. Gina Hinojosa, a member of TSEU (CWA 6186), won the Democratic gubernatorial primary Tuesday night and will face Gov. Greg Abbott in November. Clayton Tucker, endorsed by the Texas AFL-CIO, won the Democratic nomination for Agriculture Commissioner and will face Dawn Buckingham in November. And Maggie Ellis, a member of AFSCME Local 1624 and TSEU (CWA 6186), won the Democratic primary for Texas Supreme Court, Place 1, and will face Chief Justice Jimmy Blacklock in November.

Locally, Tanya Lloyd, a member of Texas AFT, won the Democratic primary for U.S. House District 27. Sandy Ibáñez, a member of Fort Bend AFT, won in Texas House District 28. Pooja Sethi, a member of TSEU (CWA 6186), won in Texas House District 47.

Several other union members avoided competitive primaries altogether and are already headed to November: Holly Taylor (Court of Criminal Appeals, Place 9), Kyle Rable (U.S. House, District 19), Taylor Rehmet (TX Senate, District 9), Mihaela Plesa (TX House, District 70), Lauren Ashley Simmons (TX House, District 146), and Sarah Eckhardt, who won the Democratic primary for Comptroller of Public Accounts. All are union members.

Headed into a runoff

Not every race wrapped up on Tuesday. A handful of labor-backed candidates are heading into runoffs on May 26, and they need our attention.

Texas AFT-endorsed statewide candidates Vikki Goodwin (Lt. Governor) and Nathan Johnson (Attorney General) face runoffs. In the state house, Montserrat Garibay, former Texas AFL-CIO Secretary-Treasurer and Education Austin activist, will be in the runoff for House District 49. Adrian Reyna, long-time member and vice president of the San Antonio Alliance, advances to the runoff in House District 125.

Runoff elections for the Texas primaries will be held on May 26, with early voting running from May 18-22. The deadline to register to vote in the May 26 runoff is April 27. If you voted in Tuesday's Democratic or Republican primary, you are already eligible to participate in the Democratic or Republican runoff. If you didn't vote in the primaries, you are eligible to vote in either party's runoff. Check your voter registration here.

A note of gratitude

Not every race went our way Tuesday night. Not every labor-backed candidate came out on top. And we want to say clearly to every labor-backed candidate who stepped into this fight: thank you. Running for office is an act of courage and an act of resistance, especially when you do it as a working person without the backing of corporate PACs or the Texas billionaire class.

Every vote earned, every conversation started, and every door opened advances our movement . This work is cumulative.

Our marathon to the general election in November

Texas is changing. The numbers prove it. The names on the ballot prove it. The record turnout, from young voters casting ballots in a primary for the first time to Latino communities showing up in numbers that Texas hasn't seen before, proves that working people are ready to lead.

The general election will not be decided by the pundits or the polling, but by organizers and working-class people across this state. Over the next eight months, union members will be knocking on doors, making calls, and talking with their communities about what is at stake for working families.

As U.S. Senate Democratic nominee James Talarico told supporters, "There is something happening in Texas. The people of this state have given this country a little bit of hope, and a little bit of hope is a dangerous thing."

Do you want to help build upon this moment and elect pro-public schools and labor candidates? Consider donating to the Texas AFT COPE fund or shopping our online merch store. Members and readers like you help us advocate for you and your family.