Texas GOP primary switch. The Texas Republican Party is moving to limit its primary participation only to voters that it deems Republican. Currently, the state’s primaries are open.
The State Republican Executive Committee voted overwhelmingly for this rule at its quarterly meeting over the weekend.
This will almost certainly be challenged in court.
If it stands, this will be a big deal for Sen. John Cornyn (R-Texas), who is locked in a bruising primary with Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton. It means that voters who are affiliated with Democrats and independents can’t vote in a GOP primary. They are far more likely to align with Cornyn than Paxton, who is beloved by the state’s right wing.
Beyond Cornyn, this rule change will affect any Republican being challenged from the right. Reps. Tony Gonzales (R-Texas) and Dan Crenshaw (R-Texas) have both faced such opponents recently. Gonzales barely squeaked out a victory in a primary runoff in 2024.
News: Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) is endorsing Donavan McKinney, the Michigan state legislator running to unseat Rep. Shri Thanedar (D-Mich.) in a safe Democratic seat.
“‘[McKinney] understands the struggles working class communities are facing in Detroit and across the country because he’s lived those struggles himself,” Sanders said in an endorsement statement.
McKinney is also being backed by progressive Rep. Rashida Tlaib (D-Mich.). Sanders’ endorsement is the latest sign that the left-wing movement is coalescing around McKinney in a bid to knock off Thanedar.
The Campaign. Ford is running a spot talking about its manufacturing cars in the U.S. “Nobody’s committed to America like Ford is,” a worker in the spot says.
