Primaries Turn Texas a Deeper Shade of Red

In the GOP civil war between populists and centrists, populists gained ground in Tuesday's elections that kicked off the year's primary season.

In the election season's first primary of 2018, populists continued to gain ground in their Texas Republican civil war with moderates.

Most of the moderate or establishment Republicans who were targeted in primaries on Tuesday managed to hold on to their seats, but the faction of more populist conservatives, who take a hard line on taxes and social issues, made further advances and could pick up additional seats in May's runoff elections.

"There's been a gradual shift toward the more conservative wing of the party, and that continued in Tuesday's primary," says Brandon Rottinghaus, a political scientist at the University of Houston. "Little by little, they chip away at the support of moderates."

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