HD-102: With Most Precincts In, Carter Way Ahead

Former Collin County prosecutor Stefani Carter appears to have handily defeated Geoffrey Bailey, a consultant to T. Boone Pickens, in the District 102 Republican primary. With 92 percent of precincts in, she has 75 percent of the vote. It looks like she'll be running against incumbent Democratic Rep. Carol Kent in the general election.

The longtime-Republican district, which went Democratic in 2008, is, like HD-101, a big target for the Texas GOP.

Republican consultants say that in Kent's 2008 election, some majority-minority precincts showed up to the polls in unexpectedly high numbers. They say it's uncertain whether she can hold the seat without Barack Obama at the top of the ballot. But Kent says she's confident her district switched parties in 2008 because voters were ready for a change, not because Obama led the ticket. Still, Kent said last month, “We’re not taking anyone for granted, no matter who the challenger might be.”