In Texas’s Super Tuesday races, a litmus test for Trump’s Republican Party

Seen as a conservative bulwark, Texas is hosting races that pit moderates against the Donald Trump-influenced far right.

Everything’s bigger in Texas — and that includes this year’s political primary races.

The second largest state in the United States — both in terms of population and land mass — Texas is set to hold votes this week for Super Tuesday, a pivotal juncture on the electoral calendar.

Fifteen states and one territory take to the polls on that day, which can be a make-or-break moment for presidential candidates.

But Texas looms particularly large as a window into the key issues facing candidates. Situated on the southern border, Texas has, in recent years, made headlines for grappling with immigration, gun violence and abortion access.

Both Democratic incumbent Joe Biden and Republican frontrunner Donald Trump will be on the ballot for Texas’s presidential primaries. But with their party nominations all but assured, experts are pointing to the down-ballot races as the most interesting of all.