To: Interested Parties
From: Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee
Date: March 17, 2026
Subject: DCCC Analysis of Latino Voters in Texas Primary Shows Voters Prefer Democrats
The 2026 Texas primary was marked by higher Democratic turnout and votes in counties with a large Latino population, including in the DCCC’s battlefield congressional districts. Public sources show that in Texas’ 46 majority-Hispanic counties, turnout was higher than during the 2024 cycle, with over 170,000 more votes cast (a 33% increase from the 2024 previous primary election). In those counties, Democratic ballots made up 66% of the votes. In the five border counties of South Texas, turnout was 19% (up from 15% in 2024), and Democrats earned 77% of all primary ballots. In comparison, Kamala Harris only earned 48% of the two-way vote in these counties in 2024.
In fact, in the DCCC’s three defensive battleground districts (TX-28, TX-34, TX-35), Democratic ballots made up 64% of all ballots cast:
- TX-28: 80% Democratic congressional ballots
- TX-34: 61% Democratic congressional ballots
- TX-35: 54% Democratic congressional ballots
This turnout is a strong indicator of Democrats’ momentum heading into November, with Latino voters continuing to sour on Republicans and their broken promises. In majority Latino congressional districts with contested Republican primaries (TX-09, TX-23, TX-28, TX-34, TX-35), Republicans outspent Democrats four times over ($12.7 million compared to $3.3 million), and still Democratic voter turnout was consistently higher.
Republicans gerrymandered Texas in an attempt to rig the election in their favor, assuming Latino voters would break their way. The primary results are proof positive that this was a misguided and failed effort. For example, in TX-35, which was redrawn to combine predominantly Hispanic areas of San Antonio and Austin, the Democrats ended up with 7,500 more votes.
Latinos consistently rank affordability as their top voting issue. Yet Republicans have cut health care, allowed reckless tariffs that are making everyday goods more expensive, and have supported ICE’s unlawful actions that are endangering communities. Latino voters are rejecting the Republican Party, and they will be the key bloc that delivers the House majority for Democrats in November. |
