Paxton defeats Cornyn 64-36 in Texas Senate GOP runoff

Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton defeated four-term Senator John Cornyn in Tuesday’s Republican primary runoff, winning roughly 64 percent of the vote to Cornyn’s 36 percent. The outcome ends Cornyn’s Senate career after more than two decades and hands the Republican nomination to a candidate whose legal troubles and ethical allegations have drawn sustained attention from opponents and some party donors.

Paxton’s victory came one week after Donald Trump endorsed him, describing the attorney general as a “true MAGA warrior.” Paxton quickly credited the endorsement as the decisive factor, calling it “the most powerful force in politics.” The result fits a pattern in which Trump has successfully backed challengers against Republicans he views as insufficiently loyal, including recent contests in Louisiana, Kentucky and Indiana.

Cornyn had attempted to align himself more closely with Trump’s agenda in the months before the runoff, highlighting his votes on immigration and supporting certain procedural changes favored by the White House. Those adjustments did not overcome skepticism among primary voters who remembered Cornyn’s earlier hesitation about Trump’s political future and his measured style of legislating. The contest became the most expensive Senate primary in U.S. history, with more than $130 million spent by both sides.

Senate Republicans had viewed Cornyn as the stronger general-election candidate. They now face a November matchup between Paxton and Democratic state Representative James Talarico, a pastor and progressive legislator from the Austin area. Public polling conducted before the primary showed Talarico running closer to Paxton than to Cornyn. Paxton has already begun airing advertisements portraying Talarico as a left-wing extremist, while Talarico’s campaign has emphasized his record on public education and health care access.

The general election carries implications for Senate control. Republicans currently hold a narrow majority and are defending more seats than Democrats in November. Texas has not elected a Democratic senator since 1988, yet the state’s shifting demographics and Talarico’s fundraising strength have prompted some national Democratic strategists to treat the race as competitive. Republican leaders, including Senate Majority Leader John Thune, have signaled that additional resources will be required to defend the seat.

Paxton’s primary win also illustrates the continuing influence of Trump-aligned voters in Republican primaries even as the president’s overall favorability ratings remain mixed. Cornyn’s loss marks the first time a sitting Republican senator from Texas has been denied renomination, underscoring how primary voters have prioritized demonstrated alignment over institutional experience and fundraising capacity. The general-election contest will test whether that same coalition can hold together against a Democratic opponent who has drawn support from both progressive activists and some moderate donors.