Mesquite businesswoman Cindy Burkett narrowly avoided a runoff in the District 101 Republican primary, winning just over 50 percent of the vote to defeat former Mesquite Deputy Mayor Pro Tem Greg Noschese and former state Rep. Thomas Latham. She will face freshman Democratic Rep. Robert Miklos in November.
Republican Party Of Texas
SD-22: Averitt, In Spite of Himself
Waco state Sen. Kip Averitt, who doesn’t want to serve another term and didn’t lift a finger or spend a dime to win the Republican primary, is nevertheless leading in incomplete returns. His challenger, Darren Yancy of Burleson, was lagging by almost two-to-one with well over half of the precincts counted.
The Straight Story
One distinguishing feature of primary night is the absence of straight-ticket voting, which is why certain races that seem winnable now simply aren’t in the fall. Take Collin County, where straight-ticket ballots favored R’s over D’s on Election Day 2008 at a rate of 66 to 33 percent. A Democrat โhas literally got to be Jesus Christ running against Judas or he loses,โ an analyst says.
In Closing: Debra Medina
โWeโll do a runoff if we have to,” she said Saturday. “Iโd like to secure it outright.” She paused and smiled. “It will be the upset of the century if that happens.”
TribBlog: Don’t Rock the Vote!
Libertarian gubernatorial candidate Jeff Daiell is urging voters to avoid the primary ballot box and stay true to Libertarian beliefs.
Primary Color: HD-7
Is this the year that independent-minded state Rep. Tommy Merritt, R-Longview, finally gets his comeuppance from conservatives?
2010: Newspaper Endorsements: Star-Telegram for KBH, White
The laggard of the big five papers finally calls, “Bingo!” โ joining its edit board counterparts elsewhere in supporting the senior U.S. senator and the former Houston mayor in the upcoming party primaries for governor.
Primary Color: HD-127
Four plausible candidates are vying for the GOP nomination to succeed retiring state Rep. Joe Crabb, R-Atascocita, and each has a decent shot. The tough part for voters in this reliably Republican north Houston suburb is differentiating between them.
The Republicans Have a Proposition for You
The start of early voting marks the beginning of the final two-week sprint for candidates โ and also, in the case of the GOP primary, for activists pushing propositions on the ballot that define the party’s stance on a series of hot-button issues. Ben Philpott, who’s covering the 2010 elections for KUT News and the Tribune, filed this report.
Primary Color: CD-23
Two lawyers, two doctors and an ex-CIA officer are hoping that discontent with the federal government and anxiety about the economy will propel them to victory against incumbent U.S. Rep. Ciro Rodriguez, D-San Antonio. But first, they have to win a crowded Republican primary.

