With municipal elections complete, early voting kicked off Monday for Texas' key primary races.
Voters can now pick their party's nominees after a four-month delay caused by an extended legal fight over the redrawing of political districts.
But the delay could spell trouble for some Republican candidates facing opposition from hard-core conservative activists. The race could be decided by only a few hundred thousand ballots out of 13.5 million registered voters.
Many people don't know the primary date has changed from March, the only big race is for the U.S. Senate and the vote is on May 29, the day after Memorial Day.
Low turnout could mean as few as 740,000 people could decide who wins. But a runoff could cut that number in half if people don't vote.
