Ken Paxton Defeats John Cornyn in Texas GOP Senate Runoff

Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton has won the Republican nomination for the U.S. Senate by defeating incumbent Sen. John Cornyn in a runoff election. Paxton secured 62.6 percent of the vote compared to Cornyn’s 37.4 percent, according to projections from NBC News, CBS News, and the Associated Press. The victory followed a last-minute endorsement from former President Donald Trump, who praised Paxton as “a true MAGA warrior” and criticized Cornyn for not supporting him during difficult times.

Paxton will face Democratic state Rep. James Talarico in the November general election. Talarico, a Presbyterian seminarian, has focused his campaign on working-class issues and has sharply criticized Paxton, calling him “the most corrupt politician in America.” Paxton responded by labeling Talarico “the most extreme radical the Democrats have ever nominated.” A super PAC supporting Paxton released an ad featuring Trump calling Talarico “weird” and highlighting some of his past statements about God and race.

The general election is expected to be one of the most expensive Senate contests in Texas history. Talarico has raised more than $40 million and spent much of it during a competitive primary, while Paxton has raised $7.6 million and had $2.3 million left to spend as of early May. According to ad-tracking firm AdImpact, Cornyn’s campaign and allied super PACs spent over $21 million on ads since the March primary, while Paxton and his allies spent nearly $7 million.

Paxton’s victory is part of a broader trend of Trump-backed candidates defeating incumbent Republicans perceived as insufficiently loyal to the former president. Earlier this month, Trump-backed challengers defeated Rep. Thomas Massie of Kentucky in a primary, and Sen. Bill Cassidy of Louisiana lost his primary outright after Trump backed a challenger. Senate Republican leadership had supported Cornyn, arguing he would be a stronger candidate against Democrats in Texas, though some Republicans expressed concerns about Paxton’s controversies.

Paxton has faced multiple controversies, including a 2023 impeachment by the GOP-controlled Texas House on charges of bribery, dereliction of duty, and disregard of official duties; he was acquitted by the state Senate. He was also indicted on securities fraud charges in 2015, which were dropped in 2024 as part of a pre-trial diversion deal. Last year, Paxton’s wife announced she was seeking a divorce on “biblical grounds.”

Despite these issues, Paxton and his supporters argue his loyalty to Trump energizes the Republican base. Paxton has compared his legal troubles to those faced by Trump and framed the race as a fight against the “radical left,” warning that losing Texas would mean losing the country. He has used nicknames such as “Tofu Talarico” and “James Tala-freak-o” to describe his Democratic opponent.

Talarico has framed the race as “the people versus Ken Paxton,” criticizing Paxton as “the most corrupt politician in America” and describing the contest as a fight against a “corrupt political system” that favors wealthy donors over working people. He has emphasized that the biggest fight in the country is “top versus bottom,” rising above traditional party lines.

Cornyn conceded the runoff and pledged to support the Republican ticket in November. At his election night event, Cornyn said, “I trust the voters of Texas, and they made their decision, and I must respect it.” The general election will test whether Paxton’s controversies affect Republican chances in Texas, a state Democrats have not won in a Senate race since 1988.