Ahead Of Texas Primary, Early Signs Of A 2018 Democratic Surge

The 2018 primary elections kick off this week, and Democrats are already seeing reasons to be excited deep in the red, beating heart of Texas.

The Lone Star State holds the nation's first primary on Tuesday, but the initial eight days of early voting through last Tuesday already showed Democrats reaching record levels in a midterm year. To that point, they'd surpassed GOP voter turnout and their own party's numbers during the same period in 2016, a presidential election year where voting numbers are typically much higher.

The rising Democratic enthusiasm mirrors what the party has already seen across the country in the nearly year and a half since President Trump was elected — more than three dozen state legislature seats changing hands, important wins in Virginiaand New Jerseylast year and mobilization through rallies