Trump endorsement – Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton won the GOP Senate runoff on Tuesday, May 26, defeating four-term Sen. John Cornyn after President Donald Trump endorsed him. The outcome reshapes Lone Star State politics as multiple House runoffs across Texas delivered both
Texas voters went to the polls Tuesday, May 26, and one endorsement—President Donald Trump’s backing of Ken Paxton—hung over the most expensive GOP Senate fight in the country.
Paxton. the Texas attorney general. ended the night with 63.8% of the vote as an estimated 98% of votes were counted. according to Associated Press and CNN. The result sets up a November matchup against Democrat James Talarico. but it also marks something sharper inside the GOP: a win that came after Paxton was able to beat a four-term lawmaker. Sen. John Cornyn, who at times has opposed Trump.
In the Texas Senate runoff, Paxton’s victory is being read as more than a partisan win. It is the latest sign of Trump’s pressure inside Republican politics as midterms approach.
Paxton’s win came with Trump’s endorsement
Paxton said President Trump’s endorsement gave him “a bit of momentum” in the race for the Texas Senate seat. The endorsement carried weight because Cornyn, a senior figure in Washington, has not always aligned with Trump.
For Paxton. defeating a long-serving Republican lawmaker is a major validation—especially in a contest where spending patterns did not favor him. The campaign’s price tag was steep: over $110 million spent on advertising, according to AdImpact. Cornyn outspent Paxton, shelling out $64 million versus $3.6 million, respectively.
Josh Blank, research director of the Texas Politics Project at the University of Texas at Austin, pointed to the downstream impact of the contest once the nominees are set.
“Now that the nominees are set. only one thing is certain. Texas is going to have a big. nasty. expensive election this year. and both national parties are likely to be spending more time. and especially. more resources. in a state where the outcome is usually pretty close to a sure thing. ” Blank said.
What comes next is the question of loyalty
With Paxton moving toward the November election, attention turns to whether Cornyn’s supporters will back him.
Blank said it will be “notable to watch whether Cornyn’s supporters vote for Paxton in November,” adding that if voters choose someone else, it could be costly for Paxton.
Meanwhile, Blank also emphasized the campaign mechanics behind Paxton’s win: Paxton, he said, “is a very capable campaigner who knows how to mobilize the Republican base,” especially after “knocked off a four-term incumbent while being significantly outspent.”
Democrats now face a known quantity in a new statewide contest: Paxton will aim to turn Trump-aligned energy into a November win against James Talarico, a Democrat with a rising national profile.
Texas House runoffs: winners across districts, including an upset for Al Green
While the Senate race grabbed the most national attention, Texas House runoff elections on May 26 also shifted political figures across congressional districts.
On the Democratic side, runoff results were:
– District 1: Yolanda Prince (72.3%) defeated Dax Alexander (27.7%) with an estimated 97% of votes counted. – District 5: Chelsey Hockett (53%) defeated Ruth Torres (47%) with an estimated 99% of votes counted. – District 14: The race between Richard Davis and Thurman Bill Bartie has not yet been called. – District 17: Casey Shepard (59.9%) defeated Milah Flores (40.1%) with an estimated 97% of votes counted. – District 18: Christian D. Menefee (69.4%) defeated incumbent Al Green (30.6%) with an estimated 99% of votes counted. – District 24: Kevin Burge (78.1%) defeated TJ Ware (21.9%) with an estimated 99% of votes counted. – District 33: Colin Allred (53.9%) defeated incumbent Julie Johnson (46.1%) with an estimated 99% of votes counted. – District 35: Johnny Garcia (63.8%) defeated Maureen Galindo (36.2%) with an estimated 99% of votes counted.
Republican House runoff results included: – District 7: Alexander Hale (64.3%) defeated Tina Cohen (35.7%) with an estimated 72% of votes counted. – District 9: Alex Mealer (68.3%) defeated Briscoe Cain (31.7%) with an estimated 74% of votes counted. – District 16: Adam Bauman (68.6%) defeated Manuel J. Barraza (31.4%) with an estimated 99% of votes counted. – District 19: Tom Sell (64.3%) defeated Abraham Enriquez (35.7%) with an estimated 99% of votes counted. –
District 23: Tony Gonzales vs. Brandon Herrera (Gonzales has dropped out of the race). – District 30: Everett Jackson (57.5%) defeated Sholdon Daniels (42.5%) with an estimated 99% of votes counted. – District 32: Ryan Binkley vs. Jace Yarbrough (Binkley has dropped out of the race, per the Texas Tribune). – District 33: Patrick David Gillespie (57.1%) defeated John Sims (42.9%) with an estimated 99% of votes counted. – District 35: Carlos De La Cruz
(57.6%) defeated John Lujan (42.4%) with an estimated 99% of votes counted. – District 37: Lauren B. Peña (58.2%) defeated Ge’Nell Gary (41.8%) with an estimated 99% of votes counted. – District 38: Jon Bonck (64.8%) defeated Shelly deZevallos (35.3%) with an estimated 98% of votes counted.
Blake Farrar: “end of an era” in Texas politics
In a state where political rank and institutional experience have long mattered, Tuesday’s results delivered a clear message through the mix of wins and losses.
Blake Farrar, associate professor of political science at Texas State University, said the bigger story is Trump’s influence in Texas.
“Trump’s influence over Republican voters is still strong in Texas and the MAGA wing of the party won a major battle,” Farrar said. “It definitely feels like the end of an era in Texas politics.”
Farrar also pointed to the retirements—or rather, the political fall—of familiar names. Along with Paxton’s win over Cornyn, Democratic Rep. Al Green lost in the House runoff in District 18 to Christian Menefee. Green has served in the U.S. House since 2021.
“Texas has lost two long time heavy weights and decades of seniority in Washington,” Farrar said.
By the time the nominees were set across multiple races. the stakes were no longer just about who would advance to November. The votes on May 26 changed who gets to carry institutional power into the midterms—and how quickly that power can be overturned when Trump-aligned politics takes aim at incumbents.
Ken Paxton John Cornyn Donald Trump Texas Senate runoff James Talarico Al Green Christian Menefee Texas House runoff U.S. midterms Texas politics