The 2026 primary season kicks off on Tuesday with showdowns in Texas, North Carolina, and Arkansas, with contests that could ultimately decide whether Republicans can hold their House and Senate majorities in the midterm elections.

Taking center stage this week: the combustible Democratic and Republican Senate primaries in right-leaning Texas.

Progressive firebrand Rep. Jasmine Crockett, a nationally known politician and vocal critic of President Donald Trump, is facing off against rising star Democratic state lawmaker James Talarico in the battle for the Democratic Senate nomination.

Either Crockett or Talarico will try to become the first Democrat in nearly four decades to win a Senate election in Texas, as the primary winner will face off against whoever comes out on top of a bruising three-way Republican primary among longtime incumbent Sen. John Cornyn, Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton, and Rep. Wesley Hunt.

The Cornyn campaign and aligned super PACs have spent nearly $100 million to run ads attacking Paxton and Hunt, with the senator charging in the closing weeks of the primary campaign that Democrats will flip the seat in the general election if Paxton’s the GOP’s nominee.

Cornyn, his allies, and the National Republican Senatorial Committee, the campaign arm of the Senate GOP, have repeatedly pointed to the slew of scandals and legal problems that have battered Paxton over the past decade, as well as his ongoing messy divorce.

TRUMP’S IRAN STRIKE ROCKS SENATE PRIMARIES IN TEXAS

«If I’m the nominee, I’ll help President Trump by making sure that we carry the five new congressional seats as well as maintain this Senate seat and will help him continue his agenda through the last two years of his term of office,» Cornyn touted in a Fox News Digital interview.

And, he argued, «If the Democrats win, because we nominate a flawed candidate with incredible baggage like the attorney general, then that last two years of [Trump’s] agenda is jeopardized, as well as everybody down ballot that we need to continue to elect as Republicans.»

Paxton, a MAGA firebrand who grabbed significant national attention by filing lawsuits against the Obama and Biden administrations, pushed back, telling Fox News Digital on the eve of the primary that «I’m 3-0. I’ve won three statewide races.»

Pointing to public opinion polls suggesting he has the edge over Cornyn, Paxton argued, «it’s really easy for him to say that when he’s losing a primary, because he’s not delivered for the people of Texas, and he’s going to find out tomorrow what that means. He’s going to end up losing.»

«This idea that I can’t win a race is not true… there’s no evidence of what he’s saying is being true. As a matter of fact, the evidence is just the opposite,» Paxton added.

The GOP nomination battle was a two-person race until Hunt, a West Point graduate and military veteran who flew helicopters during his service and who represents a solidly red district in suburban Houston, announced his candidacy last autumn.

Republican Senate candidate Rep. Wesley Hunt of Texas is interviewed by Fox News Digital on the eve of the primary, in Houston, Texas on March 2, 2026 (Paul Steinhauser/Fox News)

The final public opinion polls suggested Paxton with the edge over Cornyn, with Hunt in third place. If no candidate tops 50% of the vote in Tuesday’s primary, the top two finishers will face off in a late May runoff.

«I think there’s going to be a runoff, no matter what happens,» Cornyn said.

Paxton, speaking to supporters on primary eve, touted that «if we go to a runoff, the odds get better for me.»

Hunt, in a Fox News Digital interview on the eve of the primary, argued that he’s «the best candidate to win the primary and win the general, and I’m already outperforming both candidates, both Ken and John, in the general election against James Talarico or Jasmine Crockett. These are facts.»

And pointing to the negative ads from Cornyn and his allies that have targeted him the past couple of weeks, Hunt said «they have spent tens of millions of dollars against me in the state of Texas, which means that I must be doing the right thing, and I must be a threat. DC will not decide who will be the next senator from Texas. Texans will and that’s why I got in this race.»

Trump, whose clout over the GOP remains immense, has stayed neutral to date in the Republican primary. All three candidates, who have sought the president’s endorsement, were in attendance Friday as Trump held an event in Corpus Christi, Texas.

«They’re in a little race together,» Trump said of Cornyn and Paxton. «You know that, right? A little bit of a race. It’s going to be an interesting one, right? They’re both great people, too.»

President Donald Trump shakes hands with Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, in a Whataburger restaurant in Corpus Christi, Texas, on Feb. 27, 2026.  (Mandel Ngan/AFP via Getty Images)

Trump also complimented Hunt, and said that all three contenders were engaged in an «interesting election.»

QUITE GOP ‘ASTROTURF’ CAMPAIGN CONVINCED CROCKETT TO JUMP INTO SENATE RACE

In the final weeks leading up to the Democratic primary, race became a key issue in the showdown between the 44-year-old Crockett, a civil rights attorney first elected to Congress in 2022, and the 36-year-old Talarico, a former middle school teacher and Presbyterian seminarian who is considered a rising star among Democrats.

Crockett, who is Black, claimed a couple of weeks ago that a Talarico-aligned super PAC had darkened her skin tone in an ad and said it was «straight up racist.»

Rep. Jasmine Crockett, D-Texas, speaks to reporters after announcing her run in the Democratic primary for U.S. Senate on Dec. 8, 2025, in Dallas. (AP Photo/LM Otero)

And Crockett argued late last month that criticisms claiming that she wasn’t electable statewide was a «dog whistle» that was «tearing down a Black woman,» and that she was the «most qualified» candidate.

Talarico, who was first elected to the Texas House in 2018 by flipping a red district in northeast Austin and surrounding suburbs, has highlighted his ability to win over Republican voters. And he questioned whether Crockett could run a competitive general election campaign.

And Talarico, who is White, was also accused a month ago by an influencer of calling former Rep. Colin Allred, a one-time rival for the 2026 Senate nomination, a «mediocre Black man.» 

Allred, the 2024 Democratic Senate nominee, was making a second straight run after losing two years ago to Republican Sen. Ted Cruz, a conservative firebrand, by eight points.

But Allred ended his Senate campaign late last year, just before Crockett announced her candidacy. Allred, a former college football star who played professionally in the NFL and later became a civil rights attorney, is now running for his old House seat.

Morgan Thompson, the influencer who goes by the username @morga_tt on TikTok, in a social media post accused Talarico of saying in a private conversation with her that he had «signed up to run against a mediocre Black man, not a formidable, intelligent, Black woman.»

Texas state Rep. James Talarico, a Democratic Senate candidate, greets supporters after a campaign rally in San Antonio, Texas, on March 1, 2026. (Paul Steinhauser/Fox News)

Pushing back against Thompson’s characterization of their conversation, Talarico said in a statement, «In my praise of Congresswoman Crockett, I described Congressman Allred’s method of campaigning as mediocre — but his life and service are not. I would never attack him on the basis of race.»

Allred, responding in a social media video, said: «James, if you want to compliment Black women, just do it. Just do it. Don’t do it while also tearing down a Black man.»

Crockett, who days later was endorsed by Allred, said in a statement that the former congressman «drew a line in the sand.»

«He made it clear that he did not take allegations of an attack on him as simply another day in the neighborhood, but more importantly, his post wasn’t about himself,» she said. «It was a moment that he decided to stand for all people who have been targeted and talked about in a demeaning way as our country continues to be divided.»

While dramatically outraised and outspent by Talarico, Crockett is the better-known candidate, thanks in part to her high-profile position on the House Oversight Committee.

The two-term lawmaker, who represents primarily Black and Hispanic majority neighborhoods in Dallas and surrounding inner suburbs south of the city, has grabbed plenty of attention for her clashes with Republicans on the panel, including one with then-Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene of Georgia in 2024 that went viral.

She also made headlines last year for calling longtime Republican Gov. Greg Abbott of Texas «Governor Hot Wheels.»

While Abbott has long used a wheelchair due to a 1984 accident, Crockett argued that her comment referred to his policies, not his physical condition.

Crockett, who made her opposition to Trump central to her campaign, has argued that Democrats need to prioritize turning out low propensity voters rather than winning over Republicans, in order to become the first Democrat since 1988 to win a Senate election in the Lone Star State.

«I don‘t know that we’ll necessarily convert all of Trump‘s supporters. That’s not our goal,» Crockett said in a December interview on CNN after declaring her candidacy.

Texas State Rep. James Talarico, D-Travis, and Rep. Jasmine Crockett, D-Texas, shake hands. (Bob Daemmrich/Getty Images)

Talarico, who speaks openly about his faith and how it shapes his progressive policy agenda, last year started garnering national attention through a slew of social media appearances that went viral. Also boosting his profile were his TikTok videos, which have grabbed millions of views, and his appearance last July on Joe Rogan’s top-rated podcast.

Rogan suggested during the interview that Talarico should run for president.

A month later, Talarico was a regular on the cable news networks, conducting dozens of national media interviews, as he and dozens of his fellow Democrats in the Texas House fled the state for weeks, to delay the eventual Trump-led redistricting push in Texas to create up to five more right-leaning congressional seats

Talarico launched his Senate campaign a month later, in September.

Last month, Talarico grabbed even more national attention when his appearance on «The Late Show with Stephen Colbert» was bumped off broadcast TV and instead appeared on YouTube. Colbert accused his network, CBS, of blocking the interview by citing guidelines from the Federal Communications Commission (FCC).

The controversy appeared to boost Talarico, with his campaign saying they hauled in $2.5 million in fundraising in the 24 hours «following his censored» interview.

But in the closing days of the primary campaign, Crockett landed the help of former Vice President Kamala Harris. The Democrats’ 2024 presidential nominee recorded a robocall to turnout voters on behalf of Crockett.

«Texas has the chance to send a fighter like Jasmine Crockett to the United States Senate,» Harris said in the call. «Jasmine has the experience and record to hold Donald Trump and his billionaire cronies accountable.»

She also landed an endorsement from rapper Cardi B, who said on Instagram, «If you want somebody that’s going to go up there and represent you and represent your issues, please vote for my sister, Jasmine Crockett.»

Democrats have long tried and failed to win statewide in Texas, but are confident they have a shot this year, due to the rough political climate facing Republicans.

Three House primaries in Texas are also grabbing attention.

Embattled Republican Rep. Tony Gonzales is facing a tough primary challenge amid political fallout after allegations of an affair with a former staffer who died by suicide.

Rep. Dan Crenshaw speaks during a showcase hosted by TerraFlow in Houston Thursday, Aug. 14, 2025. (Melissa Phillip/Houston Chronicle via Getty Images)

Conservative Rep. Dan Crenshaw, the only Republican House member running in a primary Tuesday who isn’t backed by Trump, is facing a strong challenge from state Rep. Steve Toth, who has the endorsement of Sen. Ted Cruz of Texas.

And Democratic Rep. Christian Menefee, who was elected in a late January special election, is running against longtime Democratic Rep. Al Green, an outspoken Trump critic, in a newly redrawn district.

In battleground North Carolina, former Republican National Committee chair Michael Whatley is the clear frontrunner for the GOP Senate nomination in the race to succeed retiring Republican Sen. Thom Tillis.

Former Republican National Committee Chair Michael Whatley, left, and former Democratic Roy Cooper of North Carolina, right, are likely to face off in the midterm elections in the race to succeed retiring GOP Sen. Thom Tillis. (Angela Weiss/AFP via Getty Images; Jacek Boczarski/Anadolu via Getty Images)

Former Democratic Gov. Roy Cooper is expected to cruise to his party’s nomination, setting up a competitive and very expensive general election battle.

In House races, Democratic Rep. Valerie Foushee faces a tough primary rematch from the left against Durham County Commissioner Nida Allam, who has Sen. Bernie Sanders’ endorsement.

CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD THE FOX NEWS APP

In Arkansas, Republican Sen. Tom Cotton faces two primary opponents as he bids for a third six-year term.

And GOP Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders is running unopposed in the primary as she seeks a second term.

Related Article

La Estación Espacial Internacional (EEI) es la estructura artificial más grande ensamblada en la órbita terrestre. Con una extensión similar a la de un campo de fútbol, fue concebida como base experimental, laboratorio y hábitat permanente para astronautas, científicos y cosmonautas de distintos países.

Desde el lanzamiento de su primer módulo en 1998, la Estación Espacial Internacional se mantiene como uno de los mayores logros en exploración humana; su existencia ha sido un hecho de cooperación técnica entre Estados Unidos, Rusia, Europa, Japón y Canadá.

Actualmente, la NASA y sus socios internacionales avanzan en su cierre definitivo. El plan, elaborado durante años y cuya ejecución definitiva está prevista para alrededor de 2030, establece que la estación sea retirada y destruida de manera controlada en el océano Pacífico, lo que pondrá fin a décadas de actividad en la órbita terrestre, informa la revista tecnológica Wired.

La retirada implica pasos planificados: primero, la NASA apagará los propulsores que mantienen la órbita de la EEI, permitiendo que la estación comience a descender gradualmente debido al roce con partículas atmosféricas. La tripulación seguirá a bordo para mantener sistemas críticos; sin embargo, unos meses antes del final programado, abandonará las instalaciones, que quedarán vacías y bajo control remoto.

Por último, la nave Space-X Dragon, preparada para este objetivo, acoplará a la estación y la guiará, mediante un impulso final, hasta una zona remota del océano Pacífico. Durante la reentrada, la mayoría de la estructura se desintegrará por el calor, quedando solo una fracción de restos que alcanzarán el mar.

El proceso de retiro de la Estación Espacial Internacional está atravesado por el constante incremento de basura espacial, un factor que puede obstaculizar la retirada segura. El espacio circundante contiene millones de restos de cohetes, satélites degradados y micrometeoritos moviéndose a 27.000 km/h (16.777 mph).

Muchos son demasiado pequeños para el monitoreo, pero lo suficientemente peligrosos para perforar el casco de la EEI. Aunque la mayor parte de los escombros no coincide con la altitud exacta de la estación, la zona nunca está completamente despejada. Los exteriores de la estructura evidencian abolladuras y grietas resultado de impactos constantes.

Para abordar este riesgo, la Red de Vigilancia Espacial, la red militar estadounidense de rastreo, monitorea unas 45.000 piezas espaciales de gran tamaño. La NASA mantiene una “caja de pizza”, zona de exclusión virtual que rodea la EEI, donde sensores especializados supervisan el espacio permanentemente.

Cuando un objeto tiene una probabilidad de colisión de al menos 1 en 100.000, los controladores ordenan maniobras evasivas. Pero estos sensores solo detectan fragmentos grandes y omiten piezas de entre 1 y 10 centímetros cúbicos, lo que deja una brecha vulnerable. Los escudos físicos como el Whipple pueden reducir el impacto de fragmentos pequeños, aunque resultan insuficientes ante restos medianos.

En la historia reciente de la EEI, emergencias de gravedad han sido infrecuentes. Han sucedido filtraciones menores, como la del módulo PrK, solucionadas por la tripulación. Cuando la presión interna desciende a niveles críticos, los sistemas esenciales están en riesgo de fallo y la evacuación puede ser inevitable. Si la estación sufre una perforación considerable, la reentrada podría volverse incontrolada y los restos dispersarse sobre zonas habitadas. La probabilidad de que esto ocurra, según estimaciones de la NASA, oscila entre 1 en 36 y 1 en 170 para un periodo de seis meses.

Ante una emergencia, los protocolos requieren que los astronautas intenten cerrar la fuga o aislar el módulo afectado. Si no es posible, deben refugiarse en los vehículos de evacuación y abandonar la estación. Otros peligros, como incendios por cortocircuitos o escapes de amoníaco tóxico, estadísticamente menos probables, también figuran en los planes de contingencia.

La operación final de la EEI requiere coordinación internacional. La estación depende de un consorcio de 23 países europeos, entre los que se encuentran Estados Unidos, Japón y Canadá. Rusia, que también forma parte, ha confirmado su colaboración en operaciones hasta 2028 y su cooperación en caso de emergencia.

Entre los protocolos alternativos para el descenso se contempla el uso de la nave rusa Progress si Dragon no está disponible. Sin embargo, cada variante técnica presenta desafíos, como la gestión remota de sistemas críticos en un entorno sin presión, la pérdida de control de la orientación y la posibilidad de dispersión de restos sobre zonas más extensas. El destino de la EEI está sujeto al rendimiento de sus sistemas, la vigilancia continua y la gestión de una basura orbital que no deja de incrementarse.

The Islamic Republic’s opaque and fractured governing system following the killing of its supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, selected radical cleric Ayatollah Alireza Arafi to its interim leadership council on Saturday.

Ben Sabti, an Iran expert at the Institute of National Security Studies in Israel, said, «His name was brought up in the last two or three years. He is not a kind of politician but is part of exporting the revolution from the propaganda side.» A foundational pillar of the birth of the 1979 Islamic Republic was to export its violent Shiite ideology and foster radical Islamist revolutions across the globe.

«He’s been marinating in Khomeinist ideology his entire career. Khomeinism is a threat to U.S. interests,» Jason Brodsky, policy director of United Against Nuclear Iran, told Fox News Digital.

The founder of the Islamic Republic of Iran in 1979, Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini’s «Death to America» pledge is a core feature of Khomeinism, according to experts.

According to a UANI report, Arafi has long been agitating against the U.S. and Israel. «America will take its wish for Iran to abandon production of military hardware to the grave,» he is quoted as saying, and in a 2019 Friday prayer sermon he announced, «We will stay with our imam and leader to the end, when we humiliate [global] arrogance. Together with the Sayyed of the resistance, we say: Oh great leader of the world of Islam, we will be with you until the end, when the arrogant people in the world are defeated, and Israel is erased.»

Brodsky continued, «The fact that Iran’s system elevated Alireza Arafi to membership on the interim leadership council is a signal that he could be a leading candidate to replace Ali Khamenei as supreme leader. 

Arafi is also being watched in Washington. In an interview with Fox News Digital on Sunday, Rep. Brian Mast, R-Fla., chairman of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, described Arafi as «»a very hard-line cleric.»

Arafi promised «death» to protesters who knock over the turbans of Iranian Islamic clerics, according to UANI. (Morteza Nikoubazl/NurPhoto via Getty Images/NCRI)

He noted, «Arafi has been promoted through the ranks — heading Iran’s seminary, leading Al-Mustafa University, and serving as a member of the Guardian Council and Assembly of Experts. Additionally, he has been Friday prayer leader of Qom, which is the center of the Iranian clergy. This provides him with religious, educational and government experience to replace Khamenei as supreme leader.»

IRAN’S SUPREME LEADER RUNS ‘STATE WITHIN A STATE’ THROUGH SECRET 4,000-PERSON NETWORK, REPORT SAYS

According to UANI, Arafi promised «death» to protesters who knock over the turbans of Iranian Islamic clerics. «Those who attack the turbans of the clergy should know that the turban will become their shroud,» Arafi said.

Brodsky added, «Arafi helped make Al-Mustafa University into a training ground and recruiting center for the IRGC [Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps]. Al-Mustafa University was later sanctioned by the U.S. government under counterterrorism authorities. A weakness in his candidacy to replace Khamenei is that he has never been a core member of the military-security establishment in Iran and has never led a branch of the Islamic Republic’s government apparatus.

Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian, Gholam-Hossein Mohseni-Eje’i, the head of the judiciary, and Alireza Arafi, right, deputy chairman of the Assembly of Experts, attend the meeting of the interim leadership council in an unknown location in Iran, March 1, 2026. (Handout via Reuters)

«He is also not a Sayyid. [sign of high respect for people of lineage from the Islamic prophet Muhammad in the Shiite tradition.] But his serving on an interim leadership council will expose him to foreign policy and security issues to a greater extent, and position him as a formidable contender. Alireza Arafi is an indoctrinated follower of Khomeinism and spearheaded an effort to further Islamize Iran’s university and seminary system,» he said.

IRAN’S SUPREME LEADER ALI KHAMENEI DEAD AFTER IDF STRIKE HITS TEHRAN COMPOUND, ISRAELI SOURCE CONFIRMS

According to Iran Wire, an independent Iranian diaspora news outlet, «Alireza Arafi is a prominent hardline cleric, a member of the Guardian Council and the head of Iran’s seminaries, positions that place him at the center of the country’s religious establishment. His selection matters because the third member of the Temporary Leadership Council must be a theologian chosen by the Expediency Discernment Council — and Arafi is widely seen as a staunch loyalist to the core ideology of the Islamic Republic.»

On March 1, 2026, in Sana’a, Yemen. pro-Iran protesters brandish billboards depicting the Iranian Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei at a rally held to condemn the U.S.-Israel aerial attacks on Iran. (Mohammed Hamoud/Getty Images)

Mardo Soghom, a veteran journalist and Iran expert, told Fox News Digital, «What I can say at this point is that there is no unified government with sufficient control over the country. The foreign minister admits the IRGC is on its own. Arafi would never have the authority or the control Khamenei had. It is a compromise candidate whom the IRGC can control and is not a threat to two factions.»

CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD THE FOX NEWS APP

Mariam Memarsadeghi, senior fellow at the Macdonald-Laurier Institute and founder and director of the Cyrus Forum for Iran’s Future, told Fox News Digital, «The regime or what remains of it is no different from a terrorist group. Now that the U.S. and Israel are bombing the U.S. and Israel, every leader the terror group chooses will be rightly eliminated. The Iranian people are elated. All decent human beings who believe in freedom should be elated.»

Related Article