The Note: 'Pink wave' shows blue tints in Texas

The TAKE with Rick Klein

What Texas has stirred will take a while to settle down.

The first primary voting of 2018 revealed the promise that 2018 holds for Democrats. First, Texas Democrats found fresh reasons to run for office. Then they voted, giving them the makings of what could be their most formidable array of candidates in a generation.

Yet, all the stirrings have also exposed some of the divisions that could frustrate their greatest hopes for the midterms. The Democratic establishment’s effort to shape a particular primary race in the Houston suburbs backfired, earning the party a May runoff that will put establishment vs. progressive fighting on even more public display.

And while Democrats are awake, so are their opponents. Sen. Ted Cruz already launched a general-election radio ad against his now-nominated Democratic opponent, Rep. Beto O’Rourke, that calls O’Rourke a liberal – and includes a reminder that he – unlike Cruz – isn’t Latino.

Among the Texas takeaways: Democrats like where they’re positioning themselves. But for all of Washington’s governing chaos, Republicans aren’t fleeing President Donald Trump. Texas Land Commissioner George P. Bush — yes, Jeb’s son — was among the primary’s biggest winners, avoiding a run-off while embracing, and being embraced by, Trump.

The RUNDOWN with MaryAlice Parks

Women and women of a color in particular had a strong night in Texas too.

Barring any major upsets in the general election, Texas will likely go from never having had a Latina represent the state on Capitol Hill to having at least two Latinas in the halls of Congress next year. In rather safe blue districts in El Paso and Houston, Hispanic women won their party nominations handily and around the state others performed well and advanced to runoffs too.

More than 50 women ran for Congress this year in the Lone Star State. Many ran in crowded primaries, against each other, battling other women. In the end, the flood of female candidates meant the pink wave broke through. With all the women leading or going into run-offs, more than half of the state’s congressional districts could have a woman on the ballot for the general election.

Right now, Texas only has three women in its delegation of 38 in the nation’s capitol.

It is hard to imagine these women did so well last night just because of their gender. It is 2018 after all.

Still these women successfully remade the face of the Democratic party in this huge state. And Democratic voters seem eager to back women as they look to flip seats from red to blue.

The TIP with Arlette Saenz

During his appearance at a rally in Pennsylvania's 18th Congressional District on Tuesday, former Vice President Joe Biden boosted Democrat Conor Lamb in next week's special election and joked about his own political prowess.

As he rallied union workers to vote for Lamb, Biden reminded them that it was the labor community that "brung me to the dance."

Asked if returning to the campaign trail in Pennsylvania makes him want to run in 2020, Biden insisted to ABC News, “No no. It makes me want to get this guy elected," referring to Lamb.

But the former vice president did offer a bit of a preview of the jabs that could come should he decide to launch a campaign against President Trump in 2020.

At the Gridiron dinner over the weekend, the president nicknamed him “Sleepy Joe” and joked “You know when he said 'I’m going to take you behind the barn?' Oh just trust me , I would kick his a--. He’d be easy.”

Biden told ABC News with a giant grin, “Everybody knows better than that.”

WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW TODAY

• President Donald Trump will deliver remarks at the Latino Coalition Legislative Summit at 12 p.m. in Washington D.C.

• ABC News’ Rick Klein and Mary Bruce will be interviewing the first woman in the U.S. Air Force to ever fly in combat, Kentucky congressional candidate Amy McGrath, on “Powerhouse Politics” at 11:15 a.m.

• Senior White House adviser Jared Kushner will meet with the President of Mexico Peña Nieto as well as his main interlocutor, Foreign Secretary Luis Videgaray Caso to discuss diverse topics of the bilateral agreement and NAFTA negotiations.

• The Economic Club of Washington D.C. holds a discussion with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu at 8:00 a.m.

• The National Museum of American History holds a special donation ceremony, receiving three donations from House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi at 8:30 a.m. in Washington D.C. Pelosi will be donating a lacquered-maple gavel, the burgundy pant suit she wore to her swearing in and the original speech she gave on Jan. 4, 2007.

• Meghan McCain, daughter of Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., will be featured on ABC’s “Nightline,” as she talks about her father’s cancer battle, “The View,” and why she wants Trump to apologize for remarks insulting her father.

QUOTE OF THE DAY

“The impact would be profound. I promise you if he wins you’re going to see probably another half a dozen Republicans say they’re not running again.” - Former Vice President Joe Biden said Tuesday night while campaigning for Conor Lamb to win the Pennsylvania Senate seat in the upcoming March 13 special election.

NEED TO READ

Texas primary results leave Democrats in limbo. The first national test of the Democrats’ surge of voter energy and their ability to influence the November election came to a head in Texas on Tuesday. (Emily Goodin) http://abcn.ws/2oPacP5

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Vice President Mike Pence 'tip of the spear' in Trump 2018 midterm strategy: Sources. As Trump heaves political red meat to rally his base for the midterms, he’s leaning on Vice President Mike Pence to sweep into competitive districts to make the sell – and raise some serious cash. (Jordyn Phelps) http://abcn.ws/2HdqQ1v

North Korean overture ‘may be a great thing for the world,’ Trump says. President Donald Trump is calling North Korea’s reported willingness to engage in discussions with the United States a positive development, saying it would be a "great thing for the world." (Alisa Wiersema) http://abcn.ws/2FiWa2I

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Joe Biden campaigns with Democrat Conor Lamb in Pa. special election. One week before the special election in Pennsylvania’s 18th Congressional District, former Vice President Joe Biden stood alongside Democratic candidate Conor Lamb, saying a Democratic win in this longtime Republican district would “set a trend in the nation”. (Arlette Saenz) http://abcn.ws/2I7ex8r

Kellyanne Conway found to have violated Hatch Act twice. An independent government investigative agency said on Tuesday that senior counselor to the president Kellyanne Conway twice violated a federal law prohibiting government employees from engaging in political activities. (Alexander Mallin) http://abcn.ws/2I62EzH

Top Republicans call for second special counsel to investigate alleged bias at DOJ, FBI. Top Republicans call for second special counsel to investigate alleged bias at DOJ, FBI. Rep. Bob Goodlatte, R-Va., and Rep. Trey Gowdy, R-S.C., called for a review of “decisions made and not made" by the FBI and DOJ in 2016 and 2017. (Ben Siegel) http://abcn.ws/2FodG1l

Actress Cynthia Nixon considers primary challenge to N.Y. Gov. Andrew Cuomo. "Sex and the City" actress Cynthia Nixon may be taking on a new role this fall - that of Governor of New York. (Emily Goodin) http://abcn.ws/2Fm0v11

Trump administration withdraws ban on elephant trophy permits. The Trump administration will allow big game animal trophies from animals killed outside the U.S. to be brought back into the country on a case-by-case basis, walking back previous efforts to ban the trophies. (Stephanie Ebbs) http://abcn.ws/2tnKJAY

Porn star Stormy Daniels sues Donald Trump over nondisclosure agreement. Adult film actress Stormy Daniels — who had once claimed to have an affair with Donald Trump prior to his presidency — filed a lawsuit against him on Tuesday alleging that the nondisclosure agreement she signed before the 2016 election to silence the story is not valid because Trump himself never signed it. (Katherine Faulders) http://abcn.ws/2tnAMnk

The Note is a daily ABC News feature that highlights the key political moments of the day ahead. Please check back tomorrow for the latest.