Collin County, encompassing the north half of UTD’s campus and much of the surrounding suburbs where students and faculty reside, broke turnout records during last month’s primary election, with Democrats showing up at unprecedented rates. The election stands in stark contrast to the deeply red descriptions media outlets have used to portray the county for years.
Over four million Texans voted in total, with approximately 2.3 million votes cast in the Democratic primary and 2.2 million in the Republican primary. This was the first time in the past five years where Democrats outnumbered Republicans at the ballot box.
With official results published on the Collin County Elections Department’s archive as of March 12, statistical trends have emerged. The following seven conclusions are a result of analyzing both unofficial running tallies and official results.
1. Turnout was typical for Republicans but extraordinary for Democrats.
In the past five March primary elections, Republicans have slowly increased their voter turnout in the county, with large jumps in 2022 and 2024. Democrats, meanwhile, have either totaled about 35,000 votes or about 90,000 votes, with 2020 and 2026 serving as stand-out elections.
For Democrats, Jeremy Sutka, chair of the Collin County Democratic Party, sees the outcome as truly monumental. He says the surge was a result of not just the competitive top-of-ballot U.S. Senate race, but also year-round volunteer-led organizing and an empowered energy for change.
“In a county that has been a Republican stronghold for generations, this near 50-50 split is a monumental statement,” Sutka said. “It confirms that Collin County is no longer a reliable bastion for the GOP; it is a true battleground.”
2. Collin County’s ‘bottom left’ – ‘top right’ divide remains strong.
As of 2025, Collin County is the fourth-fastest growing county in the nation. Its population growth, however, has been centered in the urban and suburban portions of the county, specifically in the Southwest corner. The increasingly diverse ‘bottom left’ voted disproportionately in the Democratic primary, continuing a growing trend.
“This ‘bottom-left/top-right’ split is likely a visual representation of a broader trend: the growing political divide between the more urban, diverse areas of the county and the more traditionally conservative, rural areas,” Sutka said. “While we saw strong turnout in established Democratic areas, we also saw new Democratic voters and former Republican voters turning out for our primary across the county. The overall 48% share of the primary vote proves this is a county-wide phenomenon.”
3. Incumbents triumphed over challengers.
In the Republican primary, incumbents were challenged largely from the grassroots, populist flank of the party. Meanwhile, Democrats, who typically lose county-level elections to Republicans, continue to struggle with filling all candidacy positions. In both parties, however, primary voters tended to overwhelmingly favor incumbent candidates.
4. Voters that came early came in numbers.
“This is absolutely unusual and historic,” Sutka said. “To have over 132,000 voters cast ballots during the early voting period alone, the highest in 20 years, is a tectonic shift. We more than doubled the number of early voters compared to the 2024 primary.”
5. Republicans unexpectedly disagreed with state propositions.
When asked for an interpretation of this data, the Collin County Republican Party and the Texas Young Republicans did not respond to requests for comment at the time of publication.
6. UTD voters loved James Talarico.
Following his Feb. 26 campus visit, Texas Rep. James Talarico received more votes than all other candidates on the ballot combined as the Democratic pick for the U.S. Senate seat. On the Republican side, Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton and incumbent U.S. Sen. John Conrnyn will head into a runoff scheduled for May 2, 2026.
“The enthusiasm seen at UTD and other pockets across the county is precisely what powered our record turnout, and it will be essential to our success in November,” Sutka said.
7. UTD Republicans were hesitant on state proposals while Democrats leaned in left.
UTD’s votership and role in Collin County have become crucial to local politics, with students serving not just as a voter base but also as a hub for events and employees. The data, according to Sutka, shows students’ desire to address issues related to student debt, affordability, climate change and economic fairness.
“UTD’s precinct is a microcosm of the future of our county,” Sutka said. “It is younger, more diverse and more engaged on the issues that matter to a new generation. Voters should interpret this as a powerful signal that a university community is a hub of progressive energy and a key part of the coalition that will turn Collin County blue.”
Numeric data alone can often cloud the truth. In the case of this election, however, the numbers tell a compelling story: one of a county looking for both drastic change and retrenched incumbency.
At time of publication, the Collin County Republican Party and the Texas Young Republicans did not respond to requests for comments.
“The future of our country is being decided this year, and we must have engagement from our youngest voters to ensure the government truly represents them and their interests,” Sutka said.
This is part of an ongoing series investigating the 2026 elections in Texas. The Retrograde will publish additional coverage once more information becomes available.