Yet others begrudgingly welcomed 2024. This, they noted, is a presidential election year. One can hope that it won’t bring an insurrection, but given what happened last time around, we suppose that it’s always a possibility.
The midterms especially feel like they happened yesterday, even though it’s been well over a year since incumbent Gov. Greg Abbott defeated Beto O’Rourke in his bid for reelection.
So, given that time is flying at such a breakneck pace, we wanted to provide you with a preview of sorts.
Here are the offices up for election in 2024, according to the Texas Secretary of State.
President
We don’t want to call anything too soon since the primary elections begin in March, but it’s looking increasingly likely that President Joe Biden will again square off with his predecessor: former Commander-in-Chief Donald Trump. That is, if Trump is allowed to run.And, boy, Texans sure do love the 45th president. In a recent poll, 65% of the state’s Republican voters said they’d pick Trump when they cast their primary ballots in March.
U.S. Senator
Texas’ Sen. Ted Cruz came pretty dang close to losing the last time he was up for reelection in 2018: within 2.6 points. Now, six years later, he could be duking it out with U.S. Rep. Colin Allred, the current Democratic frontrunner for the Senate race.Allred is a former NFL linebacker who was raised by a single mother in Dallas. He unseated a longtime Republican incumbent in his November 2018 run for the House, and he's confident he can give another conservative the boot this time around.
Cruz isn’t exactly popular among a good deal of his constituents. (Cough cough, Cancun.) But then again, the guy is indeed a Republican in a blue wave-averse state.
Other contenders in the crowded Democratic primary include state Rep. Carl Sherman of DeSoto and state Sen. Roland Gutierrez of San Antonio.
38 U.S. Representatives
Texas is home to 38 representatives in Congress’ lower chamber, and this year, all 38 seats are up for election. Some local races to watch out for include that of U.S. Rep. Jasmine Crockett, a Dallas Democrat in District 30; U.S. Rep. Beth Van Duyne, an Irving Republican in District 24; U.S. Rep. Marc Veasey, a Fort Worth Democrat in District 33; and the spots left open by Allred in District 32 and U.S. Rep. Michael Burgess, a Lewisville Republican in District 26.Railroad Commissioner
Incumbent Christi Craddick is vying again for her seat on the Railroad Commission, but this year she’ll have to beat out several other Republican candidates in the primary to secure it. There are a couple of Democrats gunning for the role as well.Craddick was hit with some bad press last year. Texas Monthly reported that she and her state representative papa, Tom Craddick — who sits on the House Energy Resources Committee — have raked in millions of dollars from the oil and gas industry, which they’re charged with overseeing.
Three Supreme Court Members
Three members of the Texas Supreme Court — Republicans Jimmy Blacklock, Jane Bland and John Phillip Devine — are running in 2024 to hang onto their seats for another six years.Three Court of Criminal Appeals Members
And another three GOPers are trying to retain their own six-year positions on the Texas Court of Criminal Appeals: Sharon Keller, Michelle Slaughter and Barbara Hervey.Seven State Board of Education Members
Given how politicized public education has become, we wouldn’t be surprised to see fisticuffs erupt on account of these races. Seven of 15 seats are up for grabs on the State Board of Education this year.15 State Senators
Incumbent senators in the Pink Dome are petitioning constituents to grant them another round of legislatin’. One race we’ll keep an eye on is that between state Sen. Nathan Johnson and his challenger, state Rep. Victoria Neave Criado, both Dallas Democrats. Another is the campaign of state Sen. Angela Paxton, a McKinney Republican and wife of our dear old AG.150 State Representatives
Ten times as many state-rep slots are free compared with the upper chamber: 150. Here are three that we’ll be tracking in North Texas. Sherman state Rep. Reggie Smith, a Republican, will tango in March with Shelley Luther, the hair salon owner and infamous anti-COVID-lockdown crusader who lost her previous two bids for the Texas Legislature. And some conservatives who have (rather unbelievably) been dubbed “RINOs” by critics within their own party will lip sync for their lives this year, such as state Reps. Jeff Leach of Plano and Jared Patterson of Frisco.
