Here are three contests to watch when Texas kicks off primary season in two weeks

WASHINGTON — If it’s Tuesday ... Russia announces some of its troops gathered near Ukraine are returning to bases. ... President Biden addresses the National Association of Counties. ... Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis’ approval rating stands above 50 percent, per new poll. ... Henry Cuellar goes on the attack in Texas' 28th District. ... And today is the recall election of three members of San Francisco’s school board.

But first: The first primaries of the 2022 midterm cycle — in Texas — are now just two weeks away. And in particular, we are watching three intraparty contests in the Lone Star State.

1. Governor (GOP primary)

Despite being one of the most prominent and well-funded governors in the country and having the backing of former President Donald Trump, Texas Gov. Greg Abbott is getting a primary challenge from his right flank.

Abbott has raised massive amounts for his campaign, and he closed the latest filing period (through Jan. 20) with more than $62 million in cash on hand. His top competitors are former Florida Congressman-turned-former Texas GOP Chairman Allen West (who has struggled to raise money) and former state Sen. Don Huffines (who has lent himself $5 million and has been the only other candidate outside Abbott spending significant money on ads).

Huffines has had success pushing Abbott to his right, but the incumbent is still considered a heavy favorite, with the possibility of a runoff looming because of the divided field. A recent University of Texas/Texas Politics Project poll had Abbott getting support from 60 percent of likely GOP primary voters.

2. Attorney General (GOP primary)

Incumbent Attorney General Ken Paxton holds an endorsement from Trump (Paxton spearheaded an ill-fated Supreme Court challenge to the 2020 election and spoke at the Jan. 6 rally ahead of the Capitol attack).

But he’s also been dogged by securities fraud charges (that case has been delayed for years) as well as ethics allegations that surfaced in 2020 (which he’s denied), issues his opponents have weaponized.

His top primary opponents are George P. Bush (the son of Jeb Bush and the current Land commissioner), former state Supreme Court Justice Eva Guzman and Rep. Louie Gohmert. The same recent University of Texas poll had Paxton leading the GOP field, but getting support from 47 percent of likely GOP primary voters – below the 50 percent needed to avoid a runoff.

3. 28th Congressional District (Democratic primary)

In this race, incumbent Democratic Rep. Henry Cuellar faces a rematch from 2020 primary opponent Jessica Cisneros, a progressive attorney who once interned for Cuellar.

In that primary two years ago, Cuellar beat Cisneros, 52 percent to 48 percent. This district, which runs from San Antonio to the Mexican border, is largely the same after redistricting, with some small changes. Under the new lines, Biden would have won this district by 7 points versus Trump, 53 percent to 46 percent.

So far, Cuellar, a socially conservative Democrat who frequently opposes abortion rights, has been outraising Cisneros. She’s also underfunded compared to this point in the 2020 election cycle.

But Cisneros has support from Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, EMILY’s List, NARAL and Planned Parenthood.

Now these aren’t the only races we’ll be following on March 1. But they’re the Top 3.

Tweet of the day

Data Download: The number of the day is … 3

That’s the number of San Francisco school board members — President Gabriela López and Commissioners Faauuga Moliga and Alison Collins — who are facing a recall vote today.

Per the San Francisco Chronicle, it’s the first attempted recall in the city since 1983, when the city failed to recall its mayor at the time, Dianne Feinstein (who made the jump to the Senate a decade later).

It’ll be worth keeping a close eye on the results, as the recall was sparked by some major flash points, including frustration over the district’s handling of the coronavirus pandemic and accusations it took too long to re-open schools while instead focusing on renaming 44 schools board members said were associated with negative things like slavery or other oppression.

One possibly telling statistic: the pro-recall groups have raised more than $1.9 million, per the Chronicle, compared to the $86,000 raised by the anti-recall effort.

Other numbers you need to know today:

7 points: How much Maine GOP Sen. Susan Collins outran former President Trump by in the 2020 election, despite Trump’s recent statement that she only won thanks to his support.

10: The number of years worth of Trump’s financial statements that his accounting firm says it can no longer vouch for.

78,090,744: The number of confirmed cases of coronavirus in the United States, per the most recent data from NBC News and health officials.

926,257: The number of deaths in the United States from the virus so far.

Midterm roundup

Another 2020 election denier is running to oversee elections, this time in Colorado. Mesa County Clerk Tina Peters announced yesterday on Steve Bannon’s podcast that she’s running for Secretary of State, per the Colorado Sun. Peters is facing a grand jury investigation for allegedly allowing an unauthorized person to “attend a software update” of voting equipment where the person took photos of passwords that were later posted online. Peters was also arrested last week for allegedly recording a court hearing involving her deputy.

For the first time ever, the top Senate fundraisers for both parties are Black, the Boston Globe reports, with Sen. Raphael Warnock, D-Ga., and Sen. Tim Scott, R-S.C. leading the pack.

In Ohio’s GOP Senate race, former Trump adviser Kellyanne Conway has endorsed Jane Timken.

Club for Growth Action is going up on the airwaves in Nevada, where the group is backing former state Attorney General Adam Laxalt in the GOP Senate primary. The Club is spending $643,000 on TV and radio ads starting Tuesday and through April 11, per AdImpact.

In redistricting news, Democrats and the ACLU are suing over Kansas’ new congressional map. The North Carolina Supreme Court published its opinion in the state’s redistricting case, offering lawmakers guidelines as they redraw new congressional and legislative maps, which are due Friday.

The GOP group Winning for Women announced its first Senate endorsements yesterday, backing Katie Britt in Alabama, Jane Timken in Ohio and Tiffany Smiley in Washington, per a press release. The group also endorsed Morgan Ortagus in Tennessee’s 5th District and Tanya Wheeless in Arizona’s 4th District.

Ad Watch: Cuellar goes on the attack

The ad war in Texas’ 28th District continues to heat up as Rep. Henry Cuellar, D-Texas, launched a new ad against his primary opponent, attorney Jessica Cisneros. The ad is Cuellar’s first to attack his opponent, though Cisneros started airing ads against him over a week ago.

In the new commercial, a narrator tells viewers, “Don’t believe Jessica Cisneros’ lies,” adding that her agenda “will hurt South Texas.” The narrator goes on to accuse Cisneros of lying about Cuellar to “distract” from her own agenda.

That agenda, the narrator alleges, includes a pledge to “split ICE in half,” according to a 2019 candidate questionnaire from a progressive organization. This would leave the community with “open borders that would make us less safe,” the narrator alleges.

ICYMI: What else is happening in the world

A former Navy nuclear engineer pleaded guilty to espionage charges Monday.

NBC’s Tom Winter covers special counsel John Durham’s claim that a tech executive used access to White House computers to try to dig up dirt on Trump.

A federal judge said he would throw out former Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin’s defamation suit against the New York Times once the jury finishes deliberations.

The Philadelphia Inquirer dove deep into how Rep. Conor Lamb’s push to raise general election dollars puts him even further behind Lt. Gov. John Fetterman’s fundraising haul in the state’s Democratic Senate primary.

A Louisville activist has been charged with attempted murder after a shooting at the office of mayoral candidate Craig Greenberg.