Allred, Johnson Fall Short in District 33 Primary, Runoff Likely May 26

Former U.S. Rep. Colin Allred led incumbent Rep. Julie Johnson in the Democratic primary for the newly redrawn Texas 33rd Congressional District, but neither candidate reached a majority, making a May runoff the likely next step. According to a New York Times election snapshot with 74 percent reporting, Allred had 25,584 votes, or 44.8 percent, and Johnson had 19,238 votes, or 33.7 percent; Carlos Quintanilla trailed with 7,488 votes (13.1%) and Zeeshan Hafeez had 4,742 votes (8.3%), for a total reported 57,052.

KERA reported that the Associated Press called a Democratic runoff, saying, “The Associated Press called the runoff around 11:30 a.m. Wednesday with an estimated 92% of the votes counted.” KERA also noted Dallas County tallies showed “Allred had 44% of the vote and Johnson had 33%,” and summarized the AP call that “U.S. House Rep. Julie Johnson and former Rep. Colin Allred will face off in a May runoff election.” The Brief reported the runoff is likely to be held May 26, implying May 26, 2026 in the current election cycle.

The 33rd District was substantially redrawn for 2026, changing the political geography that produced the vacancy. KERA reported that incumbent Marc Veasey declined to run after the new map excluded Fort Worth, and that Johnson moved from the neighboring 32nd District into the 33rd because it was the most geographically similar district without an incumbent. KERA also reported that Allred re-entered the House race after having withdrawn from the Democratic U.S. Senate primary following Rep. Jasmine Crockett’s entry into that contest.

On the Republican side, the New York Times snapshot showed Patrick Gillespie leading with 3,932 votes (35.2%), John Sims with 2,510 (22.5%), Monte Mitchell with 2,424 (21.7%) and Kurt Schwab with 2,308 (20.7%), with 11,174 total reported; NYTimes marked Gillespie as advancing to a GOP runoff. Ballotpedia lists the March 3, 2026 primary date and the November 3, 2026 general election date for the district.

Local voting logistics and resources remain relevant as campaigns shift to a potential runoff. Collin County Democratic Party published the early voting schedule used for the March primary: Tuesday, February 17 through Friday, February 20, 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.; Saturday, February 21, 7:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m.; Sunday, February 22, 11:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.; and Monday, February 23 through Friday, February 27, 7:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m. Collin Democrats provided a voter protection hotline at 469-931-2151, the Collin County office phone 972-578-1483, email info@collindemocrats.org, and a local office at 6829 K AVE STE 111, Plano, TX 75074; the Texas Democratic Party hotline is 1-844-TX-VOTES, or 844-898-6837.

The Cook Political Report, cited in NYTimes coverage, rates the 33rd as Solidly Democratic, meaning the winner of the Democratic primary will enter the November general election with a sizable advantage. County election officials in Dallas, Collin, Denton and Tarrant counties must still certify final returns, and campaigns for Allred and Johnson are expected to pivot immediately to a likely May 26, 2026 runoff.