Let me tell what just happened in a special House election in Texas's Congressional District 6.  Let's call it our Texan version of a jungle primary with 23 candidates.  In the end, the final three were two reds and one blue:

(R) Susan Wright: 15,052 votes 19.21%

(R) Jake Ellzey: 10,851 votes 13.85%

(D) Jana Sanchez: 10,497 votes 13.30%

In other words, the runoff will be between two Republicans because the Democrat fell short.

Let's take a quick look at the results:

First, everyone expected this seat to stay red.  It's carved perfectly for a conservative like the late Ron Wright, who passed away weeks ago.  The district covers all of Ellis and Navarro Counties, as well as southeastern Tarrant County.  It is a primarily rural or GOP territory.

Second, the Democrats were hoping to make some gains because the district covers three Northern Texas counties around Dallas, Fort Worth, and Arlington.  Like 2020, the plan fell short.  It's still early to analyze the voter turnout but the Democrat base did not show up or surprise the party again.

Third, the Democrats need to listen to their message again.  Sanchez did not run as a crazy liberal, but voters in Texas do not want to hear about "commonsense gun laws," and small businesses in that area are not keen on a mandated $15 minimum wage.  She did not say a word about school choice or the border mess, a couple of issues that everyone is talking about down here.

No matter how they spin it, the Democrats were hoping to make the runoff.

PS: You can listen to my show (Canto Talk).

Image: U.S. Dept of the Interior.

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