(Real Clear Politics) — “It won’t be easy to take our country back from Donald Trump, but I approve this message because I’ll fight every day until we do,” Alex Triantaphyllis, one of the [Democratic] candidates in the Houston district, said in his first advertisement.
Primary season officially begins Tuesday as the Lone Star State kicks off six months of intra-party battles for both Republicans and Democrats. The outcomes will set the terms for the first midterm elections of the Trump administration.
Both parties face multiple contentious primaries replete with pitfalls that could cause headaches for the general election. For Democrats, the flood of House candidates has led to crowded fields in many races. This dynamic has already caused friction between progressive groups and the party’s campaign committee, discord that is likely to continue to percolate in the weeks and months to come. Republicans, meanwhile, have avoided a major party civil war, but still have several contentious Senate primary challenges that could imperil seats Democrats are targeting. Given that the GOP has only a single-seat majority, there is little room for error.
Click to continue reading. By James Arkin – Mar 6, 2018. Photo caption: Rep. Will Hurd, R-Texas, participates in a news conference on bipartisan legislation to address the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program and border security. Bill Clark AP