North Texans to decide several competitive congressional, state legislature races

Collin County seen as an emerging battleground

Texas Tribune reporter Patrick Svitek joins Good Day to talk about why Collin County is being called one to watch on this election day. It has been a Republican stronghold for years but now there are changing demographics and competitive races.

DALLAS - Texas Democrats are hoping to win control of the State House of Representatives while the Republicans are trying to maintain control.

The Democrats are nine seats short of a majority on the 150-seat House.

Among the races to watch are two in Collin County which used to be solidly Republican.

“A lot of these suburban Texas counties that have become so critical, you have population growth exploding. The population is becoming more diverse and the populations are well-educated and wealthy, which in the era of Trump has been a pretty reliable indicator of Republican voters moving away from at least the president. But the question is how far down the ballot does that extend?” said Patrick Svitek, a political reporter for the Texas Tribune.

Republicans are expected to still have a majority in the Texas Senate.

Control of the legislature is crucial this year because lawmakers will redraw election boundaries based on the census.

In the U.S. Senate, polls show three-term Texas Republican incumbent Sen. John Cornyn comfortably ahead of his Democratic challenger M.J. Hegar by an average of almost 7 points. But Hegar, an Air Force veteran who has never held public office, has raised more money.

Cornyn spent Monday in South Texas while Hegar hit major cities including Arlington.

“We had a huge turnout in early voting. But there are still two or three million people who vote historically in these elections and not yet voted,” Cornyn said.

“I’ve never seen anything like this and regardless of the election results, the fact that so many people are engaged and taking part in our democracy. The more people taking part in our democracy, the healthier our country is,” Hegar said.

MORE: Voter's Guide: Key races to watch

One of the hottest congressional races is U.S. House District 32, which includes portions of Dallas and Collin counties.

The district was long held by Republicans but was turned blue by a lawyer and former NFL player, Democrat Colin Allred. His challenger is Genevieve Collins, a businesswoman and the daughter of a high-profile Republican party donor.

In the 24th congressional district, the seat is open. It covers suburbs and sprawls across parts of Dallas, Denton and Tarrant counties.

Former Irving Mayor Beth Van Duyne is hoping to hold on to the longtime Republican seat after the retirement of Congressman Kenny Marchant. But the district is changing and Democrats have high hopes for former Carrollton-Farmers Branch school board member Candace Valenzuela.

MORE: How to vote in Texas