Texas US Senate races too close to call, Cooper and Whatley tapped for Senate face-off in North Carolina

By Joseph Ax

March 3 (Reuters) - The hotly contested Democratic and Republican races to choose who will face off in November for a U.S. Senate seat in Texas were too close to call on Tuesday evening, as the midterm elections that will decide control of Congress officially got underway.

In North Carolina, another marquee Senate matchup was set when former Democratic Governor Roy Cooper and former Republican National Committee Chairman Michael Whatley won their party's nominations for an open seat in the battleground state. The race is a must-win for Democrats' slim hopes of gaining a Senate majority .

Tuesday's contests kick off a seven-month primary season in all 50 states ahead of November's general election, when the 435 seats in the U.S. House of Representatives and one-third of the Senate's 100 seats will be at stake.

The day's elections offered an early indication of how each party was responding to the chaos of Donald Trump's presidency.

The Texas Senate race headlined Tuesday's voting, with both Democrats and Republicans embroiled in bruising nominating campaigns that shattered spending records for a Senate primary. The contests underscored the divides roiling both parties.

Four-term incumbent Republican John Cornyn was trying to fend off firebrand Trump ally Ken Paxton, the state's scandal-scarred attorney general, with the help of Republican leaders worried that a Paxton nomination could give Democrats an opening . The candidacy of a third Republican, U.S. Representative Wesley Hunt, makes it likely the race will advance to a two-person runoff in May.

Meanwhile, Democrats James Talarico, a state lawmaker, and Jasmine Crockett, a U.S. congresswoman, were locked in their own neck-and-neck fight for their party's nod.

The elections took place days after the U.S. attacked Iran, a move some White House aides privately worry could pose political risks for Trump and Republicans at a time when voters have made it clear they are more concerned with domestic issues, including affordability and immigration.

November's battle for the U.S. House of Representatives will be particularly hard-fought, with Democrats needing to flip only three Republican-held seats to capture a majority in the chamber.

Trump's approval ratings have fallen, and the president's party typically loses seats in midterm elections. A Democratic House or Senate could block much of Trump's legislative agenda and open damaging investigations into his administration.

TEXAS SENATE RACE EXPOSES TENSIONS IN BOTH PARTIES

Cornyn has argued that a Paxton victory would turn a safe Republican seat into a competitive race that could imperil the party’s slim Senate majority, while Paxton has dismissed Cornyn as out of touch with the state's voters.

Both candidates have touted their support for Trump, including backing the military strikes in Iran. The president has not made a formal endorsement.

Senate Republican leadership has backed Cornyn, whose allies outspent Paxton's side $69 million to $4 million on advertising, according to the tracking firm AdImpact.

On the Democratic side, Talarico, a Presbyterian seminarian who has put his Christian faith at the center of his campaign, has made explicit appeals to independent and Republican voters. Crockett, whose fiery denunciations of Trump have gained her a national following, has argued that her nomination could expand the Democratic base by exciting less-frequent voters.

Democrats have long harbored hopes of turning Texas blue, but the party has not won a statewide race since 1994. Nevertheless, party leaders argue Paxton – who has survived an impeachment by Republican lawmakers, a securities fraud indictment and a messy divorce – could prove vulnerable in November.

NEW MAPS SCRAMBLE RACES

Tuesday's contests will also mark the first time that new congressional maps are used in Texas and North Carolina, after Republican lawmakers last year redrew the states' U.S. House district lines at Trump's behest to try to gain more Republican seats, igniting a nationwide redistricting fight.

The new Texas map already prompted two Democratic incumbents whose districts were eliminated to retire. In the Houston area, two sitting Democratic congress members, Al Green and Christian Menefee, are facing each other after the new map dismantled Green's previous seat.

Republican Tony Gonzales, who was already facing a stiff challenge from a conservative YouTuber, also is in danger of losing his seat following allegations that he had a relationship with a female staffer who later died by suicide. He has denied wrongdoing but has faced bipartisan calls to resign.