Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton is projected to win Tuesday’s Republican runoff, toppling veteran Sen. John Cornyn and ending a costly primary fight that split the party. Paxton, buoyed by a last-minute endorsement from President Donald Trump, will face stat
For the second time in a week, Texas Republicans watched a political veteran get pushed out—this time with the state attorney general, Ken Paxton, surging past the longtime incumbent.
Paxton was projected to win Tuesday’s runoff election to become the Republican nominee for U.S. Senate, knocking off veteran Sen. John Cornyn. National news outlets called the race as Paxton led by about 25 percentage points with roughly 50% of the vote in. Cornyn was winning in only a handful of counties statewide, while Paxton nearly swept the state.
The margin reflected the character of the fight: a primary that divided the party and consumed major money. Senate Republican leaders had urged President Donald Trump to stay out and back Cornyn. who has held the seat since 2002 and—by their calculation—didn’t come with the political baggage Paxton did. Trump didn’t just break with that advice. He sided with Paxton in a dispute over loyalty.
On social media last week. Trump praised Paxton as a reliable ally and attacked Cornyn for not being supportive “when times were tough.” “Ken is a true MAGA Warrior who has ALWAYS delivered for Texas. and will continue to do so in the United States Senate. ” Trump wrote. He added: “John Cornyn is a good man. and I worked well with him. but he was not supportive of me when times were tough.”.
Cornyn, for his part, had previously said he didn’t think Trump would win the 2024 election, and he argued that Trump’s “time has passed him by.”
By the time Cornyn conceded later Tuesday, the calculus had clearly shifted—at least for his party’s nominee. Standing with his family, Cornyn said he would back Paxton in the general election. “After a public service career lasting more than four decades and 18 consecutive campaign wins. tonight. we’ve come up short. ” he said. “I’ve always supported the Republican ticket, and I intend to do so again in this general election.”.
Paxton’s victory came with a thank-you aimed directly at the White House. “When everyone in Washington told him to abandon me and abandon the people of Texas. he didn’t listen. ” Paxton said to a crowd of supporters. “President Trump is the leader of our party and his endorsement in this is the most powerful force in politics. I am honored to have his support and I look forward to working with him in the Senate.”.
Paxton now faces state Rep. James Talarico in November.
The outcome is a political headache for Democrats in one sense—because the race is still in Texas. where they are unlikely to be comfortable—but it’s an immediate opening in another. They see a nominee whose record they believe gives them fresh ammunition and forces Republicans into expensive defense.
The Paxton-Cornyn primary has already been the most pricey in Texas history. Cornyn and Senate Republican-allied groups spent more than $90 million to try to topple Paxton.
Paxton’s legal and political past is part of why the primary became so brutal. He previously faced three felony indictments for securities fraud in 2015; those charges were later dismissed in 2024 as part of a pretrial deal he struck. That came after the Texas House impeached Paxton on 16 articles tied to allegations of bribery. obstruction. and abuse of public trust. The Texas Senate acquitted him on all counts.
Paxton was also the subject of a Justice Department probe in 2020. Eight of his former top aides reported him to the FBI. alleging he used his office to do personal favors for a political donor—Austin real estate developer Nate Paul. That investigation ended in 2025 when federal prosecutors quietly declined to file charges.
Even as Cornyn tried to frame the contest around court cases and character questions. his own campaign leaned hard on one of Paxton’s decisions as attorney general. Cornyn aired a brutal campaign ad accusing Paxton of going “easy on child predators” and highlighting a case in which Paxton’s office offered a plea deal of just one day in jail to a Waco man charged with repeatedly sexually abusing a boy.
In a social media post last week. Cornyn said: “It is important to note that the predators who commit these crimes tend to repeat them over and over again. until stopped.” He added: “Paxton could have stopped this one. but instead cut him loose to reoffend over and over again. putting more children at risk. #Disgraceful”.
Minutes after Paxton won the runoff, Talarico launched his first general election ad. The spot is titled “The People vs. Ken Paxton. ” and Talarico speaks directly to the camera while casting the attorney general as the “most corrupt politician in America.” Talarico says in the ad: “For 50 years. mega-donors and their puppet politicians like Ken Paxton have stolen from us. with their bribes. bailouts and billionaire tax breaks. ” adding. “Ken Paxton has gotten away with it. They’ve all gotten away with it. But that ends this year. In this state. In this race.”.
Top Senate Democrats moved quickly, too.
In a joint statement, Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) and Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand (D-N.Y.). chair of the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee. said Democrats were now “one step closer to winning a Senate majority. ” and that Texas would send James Talarico to the Senate in November. They argued that Paxton’s record gives Democrats an opening: “Ken Paxton is so corrupt that even his own party tried to remove him from office. and during his tenure as Attorney General. criminals have walked free while Paxton and his wealthy donors have profited at the expense of Texas families.”.
The political math shifted immediately for Republicans as well. The nonpartisan Cook Political Report moved the Senate race rating from “likely Republican” to “lean Republican” with Paxton as the GOP nominee.
Jessica Taylor, the site’s U.S. Senate and Governors Editor. wrote Tuesday: “National Republicans now have a candidate they’ve long assailed as the weaker general election nominee compared to incumbent Sen. John Cornyn. We agree with that assessment. and now that Republicans are saddled with a controversial candidate who’s been a weak fundraiser. we are shifting our rating from Likely to Lean Republican.”.
Republicans went on offense just as fast. The Republican National Committee said Talarico will “regret running for Senate” as it framed the choice as a Trump-aligned contest.
RNC chairman Joe Gruters said in a statement: “Congratulations to MAGA warrior Ken Paxton, who will be a relentless fighter for President Trump.” Gruters added: “Texas is Trump country and won’t break a 32-year streak for a woke freak like James Talarico, who thinks there are six genders.”
The shock defeat of Cornyn is also feeding worries inside the GOP about President Trump’s impact on down-ballot races. It comes after Trump backed a challenger that defeated Sen. Bill Cassidy (R-La.) in his primary last week. Cassidy voted to convict Trump in his Senate impeachment trial five years ago. Trump’s involvement has also been tied to Sen. Thom Tillis (R-N.C.)—who announced last year he isn’t seeking reelection—and the pressure he faced over several votes.
Democrats, meanwhile, say they only need a handful of breaks to make the Senate competitive. To retake control, Democrats need to flip at least four seats in November.
Republicans are already operating from a disadvantage: 22 of their Senate seats are in play compared with 13 of Democrats’ seats. Trump’s meddling in Republican primaries, party strategists worry, makes the job harder in races that might otherwise have been easier.
Paxton’s path to the Senate is now set, but the fight around Texas is bigger than one campaign. Democrats see a nominee they believe they can define quickly. Republicans see a nominee who may be carrying the very tensions that helped topple Cornyn.
Outside Texas. Democrats’ best pickup prospects are currently in North Carolina. where the seat Tillis is vacating; in Maine. where longtime GOP Sen. Susan Collins is up against Democratic newcomer Graham Platner; in Ohio, where GOP Sen. Jon Husted is facing a Democrat who previously held a Senate seat here. Sherrod Brown; and in Alaska. where GOP Sen. Dan Sullivan was trailing in recent polling to Mary Peltola, a former Democratic congresswoman taking him on.
In Texas, the primary fight that ended Tuesday will now harden into a general-election fight over what comes next—who gets the chance to represent the state, and who has to carry the political consequences of a party split that came down, ultimately, to loyalty.
Ken Paxton John Cornyn Donald Trump Texas runoff U.S. Senate election James Talarico Chuck Schumer Kirsten Gillibrand Cook Political Report Joe Gruters Nate Paul
So Cornyn is just gone like that? Wild.
I mean I guess Trump really does control everything. But how is Paxton even qualified for Senate when he already has all that AG stuff? Sounds like more drama than anything.
Cornyn lost because he didn’t get the memo, lol. It says Trump endorsed him last minute so maybe that’s all it took. Also why are they saying Paxton “toppling” him like Cornyn was a king or something?
This just proves the GOP is split into like two different teams and neither one really cares about Texans. I saw somewhere Trump backers were mad at Cornyn for some vote years ago but idk what exactly. 25 points though?? That seems fake or like rigged in a way but I’m sure it’s just politics. I don’t even follow Texas senate stuff like that.