Former Sen. Pete Flores, who held a different seat in the Texas Senate from 2018 to 2021, took 46 percent of the vote, according to unofficial results. Raul Reyes took second place with just under 33 percent.
The remaining candidate, Lamar Lewis, took third with 21 percent of the vote.
Buckingham vacated the seat to run for Texas land commissioner. She led the primary but fell shy of gaining a majority of the votes, meaning she will head to a runoff against runner-up Tim Westley.
Buckingham endorsed Flores shortly after he announced his candidacy.
Flores was the first of several Republican candidates to reject an endorsement by the LIBRE Initiative for the group’s stance on immigration policy.
“The LIBRE Initiative has made clear where they stand on the issue of amnesty and illegal immigration, and we are not in agreement. I believe in the American Dream, and I fully support anyone who comes to this country legally, to achieve this dream,” Flores said.
Former president Donald Trump and Lt. Governor Dan Patrick also endorsed Flores.
Five seats in the Texas Senate are open races, including SD 24. The district, which spreads through Central Texas from Bexar County in the south to Callahan County in the north, is the only open seat so far where Patrick’s endorsee has not won yet.
Reyes, a retired Air Force officer, has framed Flores as an “establishment” candidate for “country club Republicans.” He is endorsed by General Michael Flynn, who briefly held a role in the early days of the Trump administration.
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