Hinojosa won the only competitive seat in the Texas Senate this cycle, besting Sen. Morgan LaMantia two years after she narrowly defeated him.

State Sen. Morgan LaMantia, D-Palm Valley, faces off against Republican Adam Hinojosa in the only competitive race for the Texas Senate.

Democrats have long held an edge in South Texas, but Republicans see an opening there to expand their House majority.

The average age of Texans last year was 37, while the Legislature’s average age was 55. Hurdles to voting and the unique challenges young candidates encounter fuel the mismatch.

Republican Adam Hinojosa conceded Friday after a recount that included three counties in Senate District 27, the most competitive senate district in the state.

Adam Hinojosa finished 659 votes behind Democrat Morgan LaMantia in a race that garnered 175,415 total votes.

Republicans are starting to pay more attention to Texas Senate District 27 — the only competitive Senate seat in November — but whether they will go all in remains an open question.

U.S. Rep. Henry Cuellar’s too-close-to-call runoff got most of the attention, but three other primary runoffs Tuesday carried big stakes for Democrats as they try to defend South Texas from a new GOP offensive.

Democratic primary runoffs for two congressional districts and two legislative seats in South Texas highlight the candidates’ divergent visions for the party in a region the GOP is heavily targeting.