Thursday, May 28, 2026

Ken Paxton defeats John Cornyn in Texas Senate primary

Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton defeated four-term incumbent Senator John Cornyn in the Republican Senate primary runoff on Tuesday, winning approximately 64% of the vote to Cornyn's 36%. President Trump endorsed Paxton just one week before the election, calling him a 'true MAGA warrior,' while Cornyn had touted voting with Trump 99% of the time. The result makes Cornyn the first Republican senator from Texas to lose a primary while seeking re-election, and sets up a general election matchup between Paxton and Democratic state Representative James Talarico.