HARLINGEN — The race to replace long-time state Sen. Eddie Lucio Jr. was too close to call late Tuesday night for both Democrats and Republicans seeking to take his spot in State Senate District 27.
Candidates were struggling late Tuesday night trying to reach the magic 50-percent mark which would preclude a runoff election in the sprawling district which circles Corpus Christi and stretches all the way to the Rio Grande Valley.
In the Democratic primary, with 67 percent of precincts district-wide reporting, Morgan LaMantia held a slight, 300-vote lead over Sara Stapleton-Barrera, and it appeared they will be heading to a runoff.
LaMantia had 33.5 percent of the vote to 32.6 percent for Stapleton-Barrera.
State Rep. Alex Dominguez, who represents House District 33 and was seeking to move up to the Senate, trailed with 25.8 percent of the vote while Salomon Torres had 8.2 percent.
In the Republican primary, Adam Hinojosa, with 60 percent of precincts reporting, had a 3,000-vote lead and 51.4 percent of the vote against challengers Raul Torres (34.7 percent) and Isreal Salinas (13.9 percent).
All the vote totals from the Texas Secretary of State’s office and Cameron County are unofficial.
The 27th Senate District is regarded as competitive between the two parties but Democrats have a rating of D-57 percent in the Texas Partisan Index.
Cameron County vote totals, with 88 percent of precincts reporting, broke down with 6,920 votes, or 36.6 percent, for Stapleton-Barrera, 5,574 votes, or 29.5 percent, for Dominguez, 5,134 votes, or 27.1 percent, for LaMantia and 1,289 votes, or 6.8 percent, for Torres.
Among Republicans in Cameron County, with 58 percent of precincts reporting, Hinojosa had 3,374 votes, or 45.5 percent, Torres had 2,682 votes, or 36 percent, and Salinas had 1,374 votes, or 18.5 percent.
President Joe Biden carried the district with 52 percent of the vote in 2020.
Lucio announced his retirement from the state Senate last November after first being elected to the office in 1990.
