Ken Paxton and John Cornyn Heading To Runoff In Texas Senate Race

The GOP Senate race in Texas between Republican incumbent Sen. John Cornyn and Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton will head to a runoff election after neither candidate secured the 50% needed to win their party’s nomination.

Cornyn and his GOP allies in Washington have spent weeks warning that, should he win the May 26 runoff, Paxton could lose a statewide election in Texas for the first time in three decades and give Democrats another pathway to claiming a Senate majority next year.

“We will have an Election Day massacre,” Cornyn said at a campaign event in Austin last month. “If Ken Paxton is at the top of the ticket, we risk losing the Senate seat, losing the majority in the House of Representatives, and it will take a toll on everybody on the ballot.”

A loss for Cornyn would also be a huge blow to Senate GOP leaders, who’ve spent over $70 million seeking to block Paxton from the general election. The far-right Texas attorney general was impeached in 2023 by the GOP-controlled Texas House for bribery and abuse of office. His wife also divorced him last year on “biblical grounds,” including accusations of adultery.

Republicans are afraid that Paxton’s record could put the seat at risk, especially if state Rep. James Talarico wins the Democratic nomination against Rep. Jasmine Crockett (D-Texas).

Cornyn is seeking his fifth term in the Senate. The 74-year-old senator has argued that his seniority and ability to bring billions of dollars home to Texas are reasons why voters can’t afford to switch to a new face in Washington.

He sought but did not receive President Donald Trump’s endorsement in the race, however. Trump stayed neutral and supported all three candidates in the race, including Rep. Wesley Hunt (R-Texas), who trailed third behind Paxton and Cornyn.

“We have a great attorney general, Ken Paxton. Where’s Ken? Hi, Ken,” Trump said at a rally in Texas last week. He continued, “And we have a great senator, John Cornyn. Hi, John.”

“It’s going to be an interesting one, right? They’re both great people,” he added.