Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton defeated four-term Sen. John Cornyn on Tuesday in a massively expensive, drawn-out U.S. Senate primary race.
Paxton was endorsed by President Donald Trump last week, and his victory showcased the president’s power over his party as he seeks to punish Republicans he sees as insufficiently loyal.
Paxton will run against Democratic state Rep. James Talarico in November.
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The win also marks another victory
for Trump, who endorsed Paxton as part of his effort to dislodge GOP officeholders he views as less than devout in their support of him.
Cornyn is now the first Republican senator from Texas to lose the party’s nomination for reelection.
Paxton will face Talarico in November. It’s the matchup that Democrats wanted, and some in the GOP are nervous about how much it will cost to try to keep the seat in Republican hands.
A cheer erupted among the roughly 50 supporters of the Texas attorney general in the Plano hotel ballroom when the large TV screen flashed to CNN’s coverage of the Republican Texas Senate runoff.
The crowd is awaiting returns for their candidate in his challenge of four-term Republican Sen. John Cornyn, snacking on tacos and drinking beer.
The mood is festive and upbeat, as Paxton staff have projected optimism, especially in light of Trump’s endorsement of Paxton a week ago.
Cowboy hats and boots, on women and men, are common, as are suits and cocktail dresses in the Dallas-Plano Marriott at Legacy Town Center in the upscale shopping and dining area near Dallas where Paxton is expected to speak later.
That’s because it’s almost exclusively journalists packed in an austere hotel meeting room in downtown Austin. There aren’t crowds of excited supporters or the pomp of champagne glasses and white tablecloths. A few small campaign signs are stuck to the walls, and a lone podium is backdropped by a screen emblazoned with the candidate’s name.
The senator is expected to enter the room to speak once the race is called. Otherwise, reporters are milling around chairs, going live on their television channels and reloading the voting results online.
Most of Texas is in the Central time zone, where polls closed at 7 p.m. local time, or 8 p.m. ET.
A far western part of the state is in the Mountain time zone, so polls there will close an hour later, at 9 p.m. ET.
The Texas state senator posted several endorsements on social media for the Republican primary runoff. But there was no mention of the U.S. Senate campaign between her husband, Attorney General Ken Paxton, and incumbent U.S. Sen. John Cornyn.
Angela Paxton was a key fixture in Ken Paxton’s previous campaigns. She stood by him throughout his Texas Senate impeachment trial in 2023 and allegations of an extramarital affair. But she’s now seeking a divorce and has cited “biblical grounds” among her reasons for the split.
Angela Paxton urged Republicans to vote in several statewide offices, including the one her husband is leaving behind.
Jessica Shaw, 46, who swung out of a polling place in a brightly colored dress in the hot Austin sun, had a strategy in mind.
“I voted for Ken Paxton because I think he is most likely to lose against Talarico,” she said, because Paxton is “such a morally bankrupt person” that he’ll turn general election voters away.
It’s an argument that Cornyn has made frequently on the campaign trail, saying he’s the better contender to face Talarico. In this case, a registered Democrat agreed.
“If this strategy doesn’t work and (Paxton) wins” in the general election, said Shaw, who then raised her hands in a shrug. “Something needs to change, or I think people will move out of Texas.”
Shaw gave a parting message before loading into her Volvo: “Vote against Trump at all costs!”
Debbie Burdeaux strode out of the Haggard Library in Plano sporting a fresh “I voted” sticker. Her choice in the Texas Republican Senate runoff? John Cornyn.
“Because he’s done a good job for this state, and I am not a fan of Paxton,” she said.
Trump endorsed the four-term incumbent senator's opponent, Paxton, last week.
“I don’t have a problem with Trump,” she said. “But he doesn’t have any effect on my vote.”
Burdeaux, a 69-year-old retired substitute teacher and geologist, expressed what others who have voted for Cornyn have said in this precinct: a strong distaste for Paxton.
Some Republicans have said Paxton's previous scandals could discourage GOP voters from backing him in November.
“He is a disgrace,” Burdeaux said. “I want nothing to do with him.”
Paul Olson was quick to say why he voted for Paxton: “He’s conservative and backed by Trump.”
The 72-year-old retired finance executive elaborated a little, saying, “I just think he represents more of what middle-class America needs.”
Olson said he was perturbed that Cornyn, the incumbent, had been airing ads projecting himself as a Trump devotee despite Trump’s endorsement of Paxton.
“He claims he’s got Trump’s backing, and he most certainly doesn’t,” he said.
Olson was among a steady stream of voters arriving over the noon hour at the Haggard Library in Plano.
Confident in his choice, Olson still expressed some worry that some conservatives might be less inclined to vote in November if costs for daily expenses, most notably fuel, remain elevated.
“If they end this war soon, then good. Energy drives the cost of everything, and prices will settle,” he said. “But they have to end this war quickly.”
Lee Rodriguez, a 76-year-old registered independent, said he planned to vote for Cornyn outside a polling place in Austin, Texas, mainly because he is a “stable person; he’s willing to reach across the aisle.”
To Rodriguez, that’s in stark contrast to Paxton, who “is too corrupt” and an “extremist,” he said, echoing Cornyn’s talking points about past Paxton scandals, including allegations of an affair.
Trump’s endorsement of Paxton reaffirmed his fears that “he’s just a toady for Trump,” said Rodriguez, who did not vote for Trump in 2024.
Linda Williams walked into the steamy, sundrenched parking lot outside of Haggard Library in Plano, outside of Dallas, on Tuesday around noon.
“Paxton is a no-go!” she said of the state attorney general, but was little more enthused about Cornyn, for whom she voted and who is fighting for his political future in the Republican Senate runoff.
“It was definitely the lesser of two evils,” the 73-year-old, retired administrative support staffer from Plano said.
“Cornyn has not been the check on Trump we need. He used to be more respectable,” Williams said. “But the way he has coddled Trump and bragged about voting with him? It’s an embarrassment.”
It was all out of Williams’ sense of pragmatism.
“At least he’ll have a better chance against Talarico,” she said with reference to the Democratic nominee, state Rep. James Talarico.
“Because Paxton is a crook.”
This has been a big month for Republican primaries and Trump’s influence over his party.
On May 5, he successfully campaigned against five out of seven Indiana state senators who rejected his redistricting plan there.
On May 16, he helped dislodge Sen. Bill Cassidy of Louisiana, who voted to convict Trump in the Jan. 6 impeachment trial five years ago. Cassidy finished third in the primary, failing to make the runoff, while Trump’s choice, Rep. Julia Letlow, finished first.
On May 19, Rep. Thomas Massie of Kentucky lost his primary to Ed Gallrein, who Trump endorsed. Massie had frustrated the president by voting against his signature tax legislation and pushing to release the Jeffrey Epstein files.
If Paxton wins, it would be a dramatic punctation mark on the month.
The attorney general has faced an impeachment effort and criminal investigations, but his supporters say they’re not concerned.
“He’s had his flaws, but so have we; we all make mistakes,” said Daniel Vega, 18, adding, “He’s repented; let’s move on.”
Others said they appreciated his aggressive conservative politics.
“He’s a fighter. He’s a person of action. He’s proven that as attorney general,” said Jeffrey Sonnier, 72.
Throughout the campaign, Cornyn has had the cash advantage. The senator and his allies have spent roughly $90 million in advertising, according to the ad-tracking firm AdImpact.
That includes more than $20 million since the March 3 primary.
Paxton is supported by a single super PAC, and combined they’ve spent about $10.5 million on advertising. Roughly $6.1 million has been spent since March 3.
There wasn’t a clear geographic divide in the March 3 primary results. The tight margins in Houston, Dallas and their surrounding areas underscore how the battle lines cut across, rather than neatly between, Texas’ urban and suburban regions.
Cornyn — whom Paxton attacked as too aligned with D.C. Republicans and not loyal enough to Trump — led in the state’s largest counties, including those encompassing the metro areas of Dallas-Fort Worth, San Antonio, Austin and Houston. But Paxton remained competitive, trailing by roughly 1,900 votes in Harris County, home to Houston, and 4,100 votes in Bexar County, home to San Antonio. Tonight’s runoff could be decided by who builds a stronger geographic base, particularly in the Houston area, where Rep. Wesley Hunt, who finished third, outperformed his state average.
Dallas-area contractor Raymond Schramm said Tuesday that he’s concerned about healthcare and Republican-authored cuts in subsidies for Affordable Care Act coverage, and he has misgivings about how the war with Iran has been conducted.
He voted for President Donald Trump but thinks the Senate needs someone who will “have a little bit of a difference.” He likes Talarico because he seems kind.
“I like him. He’s a nice guy. He speaks well,” he said. “I don’t believe in the party system.”
“My situation is a little different than Massie’s or Cassidy’s,” said Cornyn, referencing two other Republican incumbents who were more critical of Trump and recently lost their primaries under pressure from the president and candidates he backed.
In his case, Cornyn said on Fox News Radio’s The Brian Kilmeade Show, Trump is “frustrated I think with the Senate as a whole.”
There are “grifters,” the senator continued, who are “claiming I am opposed to the president’s agenda and I think that’s caused some confusion with the president himself, but I’ve been supportive.”
Legal assistant Calise Perry considers herself “100%” Republican and voted Tuesday for challenger Ken Paxton over incumbent Cornyn in Texas’ GOP runoff.
The 65-year-old Garland resident said Paxton, the Texas attorney general, is a fighter, “and that’s what we need right now.” The runoff came a week after President Donald Trump endorsed Paxton.
“Cornyn’s been in way too long, and it’s time for him to retire,” she said. “He’s been in office a long time and really hasn’t done much, as far as I can see.”
The Republicans were the top two vote getters in the March 3 primary, but neither candidate won the majority needed to secure the GOP nomination outright.
Cornyn finished with 42% of the vote, while Paxton won 40.5%, according to certified results.
Three other candidates were on the primary ballot. They included U.S. Rep. Wesley Hunt, who won 13.5% of the vote.
