Texas Democrats will once again wait until Election Day to find out if this is the year they can win a statewide race after three decades of losing to Republicans.

They are pinning their hopes on the U.S. Senate, where Republican incumbent Ted Cruz faces a challenge from U.S. Rep. Colin Allred, a former NFL linebacker and civil rights attorney who flipped a competitive U.S. House seat to take office in 2018 .

With so many Democrats defending Senate seats nationwide, Texas is one of the only states where a Republican senator is in a competitive race. Spending on the contest topped $100 million, according to AdImpact, which tracks ad spending, breaking down the money spent on the Texas presidential election.

It’s been 30 years since Democrats won a statewide race in the Lone Star State, but it wasn’t for lack of trying. In 2002, Democrats were excited to run a “dream team” of candidates for Senate, governor, and lieutenant governor, hoping that the racially diverse ticket would tap into a new generation of Texas voters who could swing the state. They didn’t.

More recently, in 2018, Democrat Beto O’Rourke broke fundraising records in his race against Cruz. He lost. Two years later, Democrats hoped MJ Hegar would build on O’Rourke’s momentum to defeat Sen. John Cornyn. She lost too.

No Democrat has won Texas in a presidential election since Jimmy Carter in 1976, although Bill Clinton ran in three-way contests in both 1992 and 1996. A surprise victory in Texas for Democratic Vice President Kamala Harris would end former Republican President Donald. Trump’s request to return to the White House.

Texas has 38 U.S. seats, but only three districts — all in South Texas — are considered competitive.

In the state’s 28th Congressional District, Democratic U.S. Rep. Henry Cuellar is seeking re-election following his bribery and money laundering indictment earlier this year. In the nearby 34th District, Democratic U.S. Rep. Vicente Gonzalez faces Republican Mayra Flores in a rematch of a 2022 contest that Gonzalez won by about nine percentage points. In the Rio Grande Valley, Republican Rep. Monica De La Cruz will again face 2022 Democratic nominee Michelle Vallejo in the 15th District.

Here’s a look at what to expect in the 2024 Texas election:

Election day

November 5.

Poll closing time

8:00 PM and 9:00 PM ET Texas spans two time zones, so most of the state will begin reporting results, while some voters in a few western counties vote until 9:00 PM ET.

Presidential Electoral Votes

40 awarded to the national winner.

Key races and candidates

Speaker: Harris (D) vs. Trump (R) vs. Chase Oliver (Libertarian) vs. Jill Stein (Green).

US Senate: Colin Allred (D) vs. Ted Cruz (R) and one more.

Other races of interest

US House, State Senate, State House, State Supreme Court, Court of Criminal Appeals, Railroad Commissioner, State Board of Education.

Previous presidential results

2020: Trump (R) 52%, Biden (D) 47% AP race call: Wednesday, Nov. 4, 2020, 1:06 a.m. ET.

Voting before election day

Votes cast before Election Day 2020: approximately 87% of total votes cast.

Votes cast before Election Day 2022: about 68% of total votes.

The Associated Press does not make projections and will only declare a winner when it has determined there is no scenario that allows the trailing candidates to close the gap. If a race has not been called, AP will continue to cover any newsworthy developments, such as candidate concessions or victory declarations. By doing so, the AP will clarify that it has not declared a winner and explain why.