At least 7.2 percent of Texas Dem voters turned out either in person or via mail in the contested Senate primary between state Senator James Talarico and Congresswoman Jasmine Crockett, eclipsing the 6.2 percent of GOP voters that turned out for a much more expensive and heated three-way primary between “RINO” Senator John Cornhole Cornyn, corrupt Picasso-faced Attorney General Ken Paxton, and Johnny-come-lately Congressman Wesley Hunt, Axios reports.

According to a bar chart going back to 2018, only in 2020 did Dem primary early turnout exceed Republicans and, at 12.9 to 12.4 percent, the delta was half as wide. Other than that, even 2018 – the year Beto O’Rourke ended up coming within 2.3 percent of felling insufferable schmuck Ted Cruz in the general election – more Republicans at 10.2 percent showed up to vote early than Dems did at 7 percent. That was also the next-weakest year for GOP turnout and was a full 4 percent higher.

So yes, if it wasn’t so tight between Talarico and Crockett there probably wouldn’t be as much interest in the race and maybe the GOP would be ahead in turnout. They’re still losing to themselves versus 2018 by a significant margin, which is fucking nuts when already something like $100 million has been spent on their side – $70 million of that by Cornyn’s backers alone in a desperate attempt to save him from Pax – while Talarico and Crockett have spent around $30 million on ads combined.

Cruz never faced any real intraparty challenge and still that year 40 percent more of the Lone Star State’s Republican electorate showed up to vote early in the primary than did in 2026. One might actually be tempted to dare to hope that the white whale is within sight of the Dems this time.