Jasmine Crockett nearly tied with James Talarico in Texas Senate primary

Jasmine Crockett remained locked in a close race with Austin state Rep. James Talarico in the Democratic primary for US Senate as votes continued to be counted across Texas on Tuesday night.

According to results from the Texas Secretary of State’s Office, Talarico held a narrow lead with 49.7 percent of the vote while Crockett had 49.1 percent.

The numbers were based on returns from about 70 percent of counties and 15 percent of polling locations statewide.

Election officials said results could be delayed in some areas. In Dallas County, where Crockett is based, a judge ordered polling places to remain open until 9:00 PM after hundreds of voters arrived at locations where they believed they could vote, according to KERA.

The Texas Supreme Court later directed that ballots cast by voters who got in line after 7:00 PM be separated.

Delays were also reported at some polling sites in Williamson County, north of Austin.

Either Talarico or Crockett must receive more than 50 percent of the vote to avoid a runoff scheduled for May 26.

A third candidate in the race, Ahmad R. Hassan, had received about 1.3 percent of the vote.

The winner of the Democratic primary will advance to the November general election.