Takeaways From Texas

The 2022 campaign season officially kicked off this week with the Texas primaries. Here are some key takeaways from the results.

• Governor Greg Abbott easily survived a primary challenge, taking 66% of the vote against three competitors. He'll face Democrat Beto O'Rouke, who won 91% of the Democrat primary vote, in the November general election.

• Attorney General Ken Paxton was forced into a run-off election against Land Commissioner George P. Bush, the son of former Florida Governor Jeb Bush.

• In the 3rd Congressional District, GOP Rep. Van Taylor was forced into a run-off with Collin County Judge Keith Self. But Taylor just dropped out of the race after reports of an affair with the wife of an ex-ISIS fighter made headlines.

• In the 28th Congressional District, Democrat Rep. Henry Cuellar, whose home was recently raided by the FBI, was forced into a run-off with AOC-endorsed progressive activist Jessica Cisneros. 

• For all the left's talk about turning Texas blue, Tuesday's primary results suggest there is a huge enthusiasm gap working against the left. Republicans comprised nearly two-thirds of all 2022 primary voters. Compared to 2018, Democrat turnout was virtually unchanged, while GOP turnout soared 25%.

Lastly, kudos to the Republican Party of Texas for showing, at least among the GOP ranks, how folks feel about issues central to faith, family and freedom.

The Texas Republican Party put a number of non-binding propositions on the statewide primary ballot to gauge where Republican voters stood.  Here's what they found:

• 96% of Texas Republicans believe the state should verify the citizenship status of all registered voters, and there should be serious penalties for voter fraud.
• 93% of Texas Republicans affirmed the belief that our freedoms come from God, and government should not control the conscience of individuals.
• 93% oppose permanent gender transitioning procedures for children.
• 92% want the state to deploy the National Guard and other necessary law enforcement personnel needed to secure the border.
• 91% believe children should be taught American exceptionalism, and that Marxist critical race theory should be banned from classrooms.
• 89% of Republicans do not believe that Texans should be penalized for refusing to take COVID vaccines.
• 88% support school choice with education funds following the student.
• 83% support a state constitutional amendment to protect the sanctity of life.