Convenience Big Store: What to expect as Texas Primary season gets underway

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Bracing for the primary season

In just over two weeks, voting in the Texas primaries will be underway thanks to vote-by-mail ballots beginning to go out.

And there is a lot to sort out, particularly for Republican voters in Texas.

Reporter Jasper Scherer takes an early look at what lies ahead in primary season as both Gov. Greg Abbott and Attorney General Ken Paxton have vowed to campaign hard in the primaries, hoping to knock off incumbents who have run afoul of them on different issues.

And in some cases Paxton and Abbott are endorsing different Republicans in the same races, setting up a proxy battle in various corners of the state.

But it's not just Republicans having all the fun. On the Democratic side, there is a serious battle for who will get to take on U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz in November. Nine Democrats have qualified to be on the Democratic primary ballot. Among the contenders are U.S. Rep. Colin Allred, D-Dallas; State Sen. Roland Gutierrez, D-San Antonio; State Rep. Carl O. Sherman, D-DeSoto; and former Nueces County District Attorney Mark Gonzalez.

And a reminder, any Texas voter can vote in either primary. Texas does not have registered party voter registrations, so you can vote in either of the primaries, regardless of your political persuasion. The only restriction is you can only vote in one of the two primaries.

The last day to register to vote is Feb. 20. If you are not sure if you are registered, check the Texas Division of Elections to make sure here.

Jeremy Wallace, Texas politics reporter

jeremy.wallace@houstonchronicle.com

Who's up, who's down

Up: Ted Cruz.

The word bipartisanship isn't likely the first word many think of when the Republican U.S. Senator comes to mind. But Thursday Cruz had a double dose of it working. Hours after touting bipartisan legislation to expand international bridges along the Texas border with U.S. Rep. Henry Cuellar, D-Laredo, Cruz traveled to Round Rock where he celebrated legislation he is working on with U.S. Sen. Mark Kelly, D-Arizona, that passed the Senate unanimously. "I have spent much of last year working to build a bipartisan coalition to streamline the building of new semiconductor manufacturing," Cruz said.

Down: Drivers License applicants.

Long wait times persist for appointments at many Texas Department of Public Safety driver's license offices, despite a new online system and a more than $400 million investment made over the last decade. Reporter Edward McKinley has more about the wait times and what is being done about them.

What do you think? Hit reply and let me know.

What else is going on in Texas

Migrants are checked in for a bus headed to San Antonio, at Mission: Border Hope in Eagle Pass, Texas, Wednesday, Sept. 21, 2022. A surge of migrants crossing has been seen in the area. Texas Gov. Greg Abbott started busing migrants from South Texas to Chicago in late August in response to what he called a lack of federal government action on the border issue. The arrival of migrants in New York City and Chicago came as a surprise. Migrants in Chicago have been housed at area hotels and the Salvation Army. After crossing the Rio Grande and surrendering to authorities, migrants are released to the shelter where they can buy a ticket to San Antonio for $50. Those with tickets to other destinations are taken to the airport or bus station in San Antonio. Those without tickets are taken to the San Antonio Migrant Resource Center.

Photo by: Jerry Lara/San Antonio Express-News

NYC sues bus companies for sending migrants at Gov. Abbott's direction

New York officials are seeking $708 million from the companies — the amount they say the city has spent to care for tens of thousands of migrants who have arrived from Texas.

UTSA President Taylor Eighmy addresses the crowd during the groundbreaking for the Park West Fieldhouse, a new facility that will serve as the home of the women's soccer and men's and women's track & field programs, on UTSA's main campus in San Antonio, TX, on July 28, 2022.

Photo by: Josie Norris, San Antonio Express-News / Staff Photographer

UTSA drops plan to revamp inclusion office as anti-DEI law looms

UTSA President Taylor Eighmy cited "evolving understanding" of SB-17 in tossing out a plan announced weeks earlier.

People leaving and coming in to the Texas Department of Public Safety Driver License Mega Center on South Gessner Road on Wednesday, Jan. 30, 2019, in Houston.

Photo by: Yi-Chin Lee/Staff Photographer

Here's how long driver's license appointments can take in Texas

Staffing shortages and a large influx of people moving to the state are straining driver's license offices, officials said.

FloatMe CEO Josh Sanchez markets his business as an alternative to payday lenders.

Photo by: Jessica Phelps

Feds sue San Antonio cash-advance company over 'deceptive' acts

FloatMe says consumers can receive up to a $50 advance when they sign up, but the most they can get is $20, the Federal Trade Commission has alleged.

Photo by: John Locher, AP

Biden and Trump both make the Jan. 6 riot a political rallying cry

Donald Trump plans to spend the third anniversary of the Capitol riot by campaigning in Iowa as he tries win back the White House.

Pick of the day

Jeremy Wallace and Scott Braddock talk all things Texas politics on the Texas Take podcast, released every Friday.

Photo by: Nadya Hassan

New Year, new episode of the Texas Take Podcast set to launch later tonight as Scott Braddock and I tackle the fight over charter buses and new immigration laws going into effect in Texas.

What else I'm reading

U.S. Rep. Henry Cuellar, D-Laredo, is facing a far less tumultuous primary season than he has in years. In both 2020 and 2022, Cuellar narrowly beat immigration attorney Jessica Cisneros in expensive primary battles. But this year, Jorge A. Vela of the Laredo Morning Times says the veteran congressman has no primary challenger, giving him a pass until the November general election.

Cuellar, whose district includes part of San Antonio, said he feels good about the fact he has no upcoming opponent for the March 5 primary election, as he can instead focus on policies rather than campaigning.