Several hotly contested races will be decided in Tuesday's primary runoff elections across Texas.
Democrats are deciding who will face Gov. Greg Abbott in November -- Andrew White, son of former governor Mark White, or former Dallas County Sheriff Lupe Valdez.
“There is concern Valdez isn’t quite qualified enough to be able to not only run a legitimate campaign but also to serve as governor,” says Dr. Brandon Rottinghaus, professor of political science at the University of Houston.
“White is trying to play up the fact that the kind of candidates that were chosen when his father was governor were appealing to a broader range of Texans, and that is something he is trying to draw on as a value of his candidacy and tries to model for his own potential nomination.”
The race getting the most attention is the mudslinging between Republicans Dan Crenshaw and Kevin Roberts to replace retiring Congressman Ted Poe.
“I don’t know that ideologically you find that much difference, but certainly in tone and tact there may be some modest differences,” says Rottinghaus.
“They both want to grab the mantle of the more conservative wing of the party and suggest they’re going to be more of a Ted Cruz in office, somebody who is willing to speak truth to leadership and rock the boat as needed.”
Two Democrats also are vying for the nomination in District 7 against incumbent Congressman John Culberson. Rottinghaus says that race could come down to your views on healthcare.
“We have one Laura Moser on the progressive side that says we should have a single-payer system and Lizzie Fletcher who says maybe something more like Obamacare or market-type solution would be better,” he says. “In both cases, they’re probably close to the median Democrat.”
Polls are open from seven until seven. But be sure to double-check the exact location of your polling site.