Houston, 27 May 2026
Ken Paxton won the Republican nomination for U.S. Senate in Texas on Tuesday, defeating four-term incumbent John Cornyn in a runoff election that marked a dramatic shift in the state's political landscape.
With about 64 percent of the vote, according to preliminary results, Paxton decisively unseated Cornyn, who conceded defeat just fifteen minutes after polls closed across Texas. The race shattered spending records, with more than $100 million poured into the primary fight.
Former President Donald Trump's endorsement, publicly announced only the previous week, was pivotal. After remaining neutral in the first round, Trump backed Paxton, citing Cornyn's insufficient loyalty during "hard times" and his criticism of the January 6 Capitol riot. Trump's late intervention energized Paxton's campaign, mirroring a pattern seen in other Republican primaries this year.
Trump’s Late Endorsement Tips the Scale
At a victory rally at a barbecue restaurant in suburban Katy, Paxton mocked Cornyn's four-decade political career, telling the crowd, "That's more stuff in one week than John Cornyn in 42 years. That's pretty pathetic." Supporters like Ricardo Vidaurre cheered, with Vidaurre saying, "He's not your typical politician. He has guts."
Cornyn, 74, had emphasized his conservative voting record, including siding with Trump more than 99 percent of the time. But his work with Democrats on bipartisan gun safety legislation after the 2022 school shooting in Uvalde became a liability among primary voters who viewed it as a betrayal. "Voting for Cornyn is like voting for a Democrat," Vidaurre remarked at the Paxton rally.
Paxton, 63, has served as Texas Attorney General since 2015, winning re-election in 2022 with 53 percent of the vote despite a cloud of legal and ethical controversies. He faced criminal indictments, whistleblower allegations of corruption, and an impeachment by the Texas House in 2023 — though the state Senate acquitted him. His estranged wife, State Senator Angela Paxton, filed for divorce last summer, citing "biblical reasons," following revelations of an extramarital affair that surfaced during the impeachment.
A Career Shadowed by Scandal
Political analysts describe the primary as a battle for the soul of the Texas GOP. "The Republican Party is pulling itself apart ideologically. This has been a long time coming. The wings of the party have been battling each other for a long while," said Brandon Rottinghaus, a political science professor at the University of Houston. He called it "the most dramatic, most mud-soaked of the primaries we've seen in Texas in a very long time."
With Paxton as the nominee, Texas Democrats sense a rare opportunity. The state has not elected a Democrat to statewide office since 1994 or to the Senate since 1988. Democratic strategist Chuck Rocha, citing the GOP infighting, said, "One thing you don't do in politics is if your enemy is digging a hole, you don't run over and take the shovel out of their hands." The Democratic nominee, 37-year-old state Representative James Talarico, will face Paxton in November.
Democrats Spot a Rare Chance
Cornyn, in a concession speech with red eyes and a breaking voice, told supporters in German, "Heute Abend hat es für uns nicht gereicht." He later pledged to support the Republican ticket, saying, "Ich habe immer das republikanische Ticket unterstützt und werde das auch in der nächsten Wahl tun."
The runoff drew an estimated 1.5 million voters from more than 17.5 million eligible Texans, a low turnout that underscores the outsized influence of the most motivated party activists. Paxton's victory now sets the stage for a general election campaign that will test whether his appeal among the base can extend to a broader electorate wary of his legal baggage.