Costly Congressional District 2 race heads to runoff

HOUSTON (FOX 26) - The 2nd Congressional District race is now heading to a runoff.

Nine Republican candidates were vying for the nomination heading into the general election. Among those, Kathaleen Wall who spent nearly $6 million on her own campaign. A lot of money, but not enough for Wall to move onto the runoff as the votes favored her opponents.

"Money can't buy you love and money can't buy you a seat in Congress," said Rice University Political Analyst Mark Jones.

And the numbers can't lie.

"Very strong turnout," said Harris County Clerk Stan Stanart about Tuesday's primary.

State Representative Kevin Roberts cementing his spot in the runoff, getting 33 percent of the vote. Second place was much closer. Former Navy Seal Dan Crenshaw edging his opponent Kathaleen Wall by the slimmest of margins, fewer than 150 votes separate the two.

"Fairly tight in the big picture, yes, you look at the total numbers, but I don't think it's going to be tight enough to actually change anything," said Stanart about the close race for second out of the 2nd District.

"Spending $6 million which equates to about $475 per vote. The person who edged her out, Dan Crenshaw, spent about $15 per vote," said Jones.

Crenshaw tweeting about his victory on Wednesday saying, "What an incredible night! We were down by 7% in early voting and came back to win second place by 145 votes..."

"Crenshaw really ran an impressive campaign. He came really out of no where over the past two weeks, surging forward," said Jones.

Now, we have a runoff.

Crenshaw's opponent, Kevin Roberts releasing a statement to FOX 26 saying:

I’m honored to have earned the support of thousands of folks from across the 2nd Congressional District who value my record of delivering limited government, conservative results that helped grow the Texas economy and create more opportunities for our families.  I know my neighbors, friends, and all the people we have met during the course of this primary election want their next Congressman to be someone who can solve problems, help the families who continue to suffer from Hurricane Harvey, and won’t back down when it comes to fighting the Washington bureaucrats and career politicians.  I look forward to earning the faith and support from more voters who are tired of how Washington operates and want leadership that is focused on them, their families, and their future.

"The winner of the May primary will face off against Todd Litton, who's a strong democratic candidate, but this district leans sufficiently red that it's very unlikely the Republican will lose in November," said Jones.

FOX 26 did reach out to Wall's campaign for comment. They said they would have a statement, we are still waiting. The runoff is set for May 22. The county clerks office expects an even lower turnout for this special election so, once again, every vote will count.