MJ Hegar, Royce West head to May runoff in U.S. Senate race to face John Cornyn
Former Air Force pilot MJ Hegar and state Sen. Royce West will compete in a May runoff for the chance to challenge Republican incumbent U.S. Sen. John Cornyn in the November general election.
Hegar solidified her spot after holding onto an early lead among the dozen Democrats running, and unofficial results showed West in second late Wednesday afternoon.
With about 99.5% of polling places reporting, West had pulled ahead of labor organizer Cristina Tzintzún Ramirez, according to the Secretary of State’s unofficial results as of 4:30 p.m. Wednesday. While Hegar was unable to secure over 50% of the vote needed to avoid a runoff, she held onto her early lead overnight, with 22.8% of the vote.
West and Tzintzún Ramirez had said the race was too close to call Wednesday morning when earlier results showed Tzintzún Ramirez slightly ahead, but by the afternoon West led with 14.5% of the vote compared to Tzintzún Ramirez’s 13.2%, according to unofficial results.
Shortly after 4:30 p.m., Tzintzún Ramirez conceded.
“Though we will not advance to a runoff, we accomplished something great,” Tzintzún Ramirez said in a statement. “This campaign was consistently underestimated. I ran as a progressive, as a Latina, and as a working mom. We ran this campaign unapologetically, and we all have so much to be proud of.”
In a Facebook post, West said he was humbled and grateful for the support he received. He encouraged his opponents who also competed in “this hard-fought contest” to run for future offices and predicted some “will be the future of the Texas Democratic Party.”
“I believe we are well-positioned to win the runoff. The runoff is a brand new day,” West said.
The Democratic primary had gained national attention as a dozen candidates jostled to stand out from the crowd.
Hegar, a Purple Heart recipient who served three tours in Afghanistan, built upon the foundation of her 2018 campaign against U.S. Rep. John Carter. Recent polls had placed her in the lead among the dozen Democratic candidates, and she led the pack of Democrats in fundraising.
“Hundreds of thousands of people across the state tonight have stood with us, and I am really excited to tell you we are walking into the runoff in the strongest possible position, thanks to the army of people across the state,” Hegar told supporters at an election night watch party Tuesday in Austin.
With a large swath of national support and outside spending, Hegar had also earned the endorsement of the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee — a point that Tzintzún Ramirez raised Tuesday night.
“I know that I was underestimated by people in Washington,” like the DSCC, Tzintzún Ramirez said. “But you know what, I’m used to being underestimated.”
Tzintzún Ramirez said Tuesday night that despite being “outspent four to one” she was proud to be a major contender in the race. Tzintzún Ramirez took some of most progressive policy positions, and later gained endorsements from figures like U.S. Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez of New York.
West had touted his support from Democratic colleagues in the Legislature and the backing of local Texas officials, like Houston Mayor Sylvester Turner.
While the Democratic candidates waited well into Wednesday to determine the top finishers, Cornyn celebrated his victory over four little-known Republican primary challengers early Tuesday night.
Cornyn, who has represented Texas in the U.S. Senate since 2002, touted the “incredible grassroots machine” he said will propel him to victory in November, and cast the race as a battle “for who we are as a state and who we are as a nation.”
With a $12 million campaign war chest, Cornyn heads into the November general election with more cash on hand than his Democratic opponents. But Tuesday night Hegar issued a warning to Cornyn that his time is done.
“We’ve given you plenty of time, and it’s over,” Hegar told supporters in Austin. “You’re fired. Pack it up, buttercup.”
This story was originally published March 4, 2020 at 3:04 PM.
