In Texas House primaries, two of the three incumbents challenged by Gov. Greg Abbott lead early

After Gov. Greg Abbott spent more than a quarter of a million dollars in a campaign to unseat three Republican incumbents in the Texas House, two of those incumbents were nonetheless ahead of their primary challengers Tuesday after early voting.

Here’s what the early voting totals show in those three races:

State Rep. Sarah Davis, R-West University Place, led challenger Susanna Dokupil, a former staffer for Abbott when he was attorney general. Davis, a moderate Republican who supports abortion rights, received 53 percent of early votes. Dokupil, who had the support of hardline conservative groups, had 47 percent.
State Rep. Lyle Larson, R-San Antonio, seemed to be holding tight to his seat against Chris Fails, the Abbott-backed mayor of Hollywood Park. Larson, a four-term House incumbent who has clashed with Abbott over ethics issues, led with 59 percent to Fails’ 41 percent.
Early voting returns show Mayes Middleton just outpacing state Rep. Wayne Faircloth, R-Galveston. Middleton, an oil and gas businessman backed by Abbott, was leading Faircloth with 71 percent of the vote in Chambers County, one of two counties inside state House District 23. But in Galveston County, the two were neck and neck.

Meanwhile, state Reps. Kyle Biedermann, R-Fredericksburg, and Mike Lang, R-Granbury — two members of the conservative House Freedom Caucus — appear to be in very comfortable leads against their primary challengers. Biedermann was up 57 percent to Dave Campbell’s 42 percent in early voting totals. Lang was up nearly 55 percent to Granbury Independent School District Superintendent Jim Largent’s roughly 41 percent, early vote totals show.

There’s also a decent-sized group of vulnerable-looking Republican incumbents warily watching challengers on the right, many of them backed by powerful funders like Empower Texans. Should those candidates succeed, the Texas House could shift a few notches to the right.

Dallas Republican state Rep. Jason Villalba looks vulnerable in his race with interior designer Lisa Luby Ryan; among early voters, he was down 46 percent to her 54 percent. Villalba, one of the most moderate Republicans left in the House, was one of the only members of his party who spoke out vocally against the “bathroom bill” raised last session that would have regulated the use of certain public facilities for transgender Texans. Ryan raised more money than Villalba and picked up several key conservative endorsements.
State Rep. Charlie Geren, R-Fort Worth, was up 55 percent to Bo French’s 44 percent in early voting totals in perhaps the House’s ugliest primary race. In a repeat of a bitter 2016 primary, French challenged Geren from the right, hoping to unseat the nearly two-decade incumbent with the backing of conservative groups including Empower Texans. Weeks before Tuesday’s primary, that group sent out a mailer from the invented “Texas Ethics Disclosure Board” warning constituents that Geren is married to a lobbyist. French has also alleged that a political operative working for Geren asked Child Protective Services to investigate French’s family.
State Rep. Dan Flynn, R-Canton, had a tiny lead — 52 percent to 48 percent — over challenger Bryan Slaton when early vote totals came in Tuesday night. This race is a rematch of the 2016 primary when Slaton, a conservative challenger, lost by only about 600 votes of 30,000 cast. Flynn, who’s been in the House since 2003, hired a political consultant in the race for the first time.

Meanwhile, a group of Democratic incumbents appears to be in trouble.

Embattled state Rep. Dawnna Dukes was taking home just short of 11 percent of the vote in her primary race. Dukes had been largely absent from the campaign trail, where she faced well-financed challenges from former Austin City Council member Sheryl Cole and immigration attorney Jose “Chito” Vela. Cole and Vela were virtually tied with both claiming about 39 percent of the vote, preliminary election results showed.
In Dallas County, state Rep. Roberto Alonzo was trailing challenger Jessica Gonzalez, with just 38 percent to her 62 percent of the early vote.
In San Antonio, former state Rep. Trey Martinez Fischer was leading current state Rep. Diana Arévalo 53 percent to 47 percent, early results showed. Martinez Fischer left the house seat in 2016 when he unsuccessfully ran for the state Senate. Arévalo was elected to his place.
And state Rep. Tomas Uresti, D-San Antonio — whose brother, Democratic state Sen. Carlos Uresti of San Antonio, was just convicted of 11 felonies — trailed well behind his challenger, Leo Pacheco, 57 percent to 43 percent.
One embattled Democrat in the Texas House who remains in good shape after early vote totals: Rep. Ron Reynolds of Houston. He led his primary opponent with 61 percent of the vote. Reynolds, who has served in the Legislature since 2011, is currently appealing a 2015 misdemeanor conviction and one-year jail sentence for illegally soliciting clients for his personal injury law practice. If he loses his appeal, Reynolds could finish his term from jail.