Paxton dominates Cornyn in Texas US Senate runoff, the latest sign of
Trump's hold on GOP
[May 27, 2026]
By THOMAS BEAUMONT and JESSE BEDAYN
PLANO, Texas (AP) — Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton won the Republican
nomination for U.S. Senate on Tuesday, easily defeating four-term Sen.
John Cornyn in the latest contest where President Donald Trump sought to
oust an incumbent he saw as insufficiently loyal.
Trump endorsed Paxton last week, calling him a “true MAGA warrior."
Paxton's victory in Tuesday’s runoff makes Cornyn — who was first
elected to the Senate in 2002 — the first Republican senator from Texas
to lose the party’s nomination for reelection.
Cheers rang through the ballroom at Paxton's election night party when
the race was called, and he took the stage to supporters chanting his
name. He quickly gave credit to Trump.
“When everyone in Washington told him to abandon me and abandon the
people of Texas, he didn’t listen," Paxton said. "President Trump is the
leader of our party, and his endorsement is the most powerful force in
politics.”
Cornyn's loss followed primaries this month where Trump successfully
backed challengers to Republican lawmakers who had displeased him in
Louisiana, Kentucky and Indiana, a sign of his enduring influence among
primary voters.
The candidates that Trump endorsed in those states are expected to
easily win against Democratic opponents. However, the president’s
decision to boost Paxton, who won Tuesday with a sliver of the
Republican base who shrugged off his past scandals, may be a bigger
gamble in the general election.
Democrats are hopeful that their nominee, state Rep. James Talarico, has
a rare opportunity to win a statewide race in Texas — and help the party
retake control of the Senate — with Paxton as his opponent.
Tuesday’s runoffs also decided Democratic U.S. House nominees for
districts in Dallas and Houston that overwhelmingly support Democrats,
and a San Antonio-area seat the party wants to flip.
‘I will be the Democrats’ No. 1 target'
In Austin on Tuesday night, Cornyn gave a short concession speech tinged
with emotion to a room of only reporters.
“Tonight we’ve come up short,” Cornyn said, adding that he’d support
Paxton in the general election. “I’ve always supported the Republican
ticket, and I intend to do so again.”
Cornyn said in 2023 as Trump was running to return to the White House
that his time “has passed him by," a statement that came back to bite
him. He also was an early critic of Trump’s plan for a border wall
between the U.S. and Mexico — a project he now supports.
Cornyn had the backing of Senate GOP leaders who said he would be the
stronger general election candidate against Talarico, which was also the
senator's argument to voters before Tuesday.
That's not lost on Paxton, who said in his speech that “without a shadow
of a doubt, I will be the Democrats’ No. 1 target in November.”
Talarico's campaign hit back Tuesday night on the social platform X,
highlighting what they — and some Republicans — see as Paxton's
weakness, including an FBI investigation and impeachment for corruption
in which he was later acquitted.
The primary was long and costly
Cornyn led Paxton in the March 3 primary but failed to win a majority.
That was after Cornyn and his supporters waged a monthslong advertising
campaign, mostly attacking Paxton over ethical and personal questions.
The two-term attorney general was acquitted on corruption charges in a
2023 impeachment trial, where allegations of extramarital affairs
surfaced. Paxton’s wife filed for divorce last year, citing “biblical
grounds.”
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Sen. John Cornyn, R-Texas, center right, speaks alongside, from
left, daughter Danley Cornyn, wife Sandy Cornyn and daughter Haley
Cornyn, during a primary runoff election night event after losing
the Republican party's nomination Tuesday, May 26, 2026, in Austin.
(AP Photo/Ashley Landis)
It gave Cornyn fodder for an ad campaign that, along with allied
groups, spent roughly $109 million between the primary and runoff
elections.
Immediately after the primary, Trump promised to endorse but didn’t
act until after early voting began last week.
“Ken Paxton has gone through a lot, in many cases, very unfairly,
but he is a fighter, and knows how to win,” Trump wrote in a social
media post endorsing him.
Retired Dallas-area resident David Jacobson, 70, said Trump's
endorsement was a factor in his decision to back Paxton on Tuesday.
While Cornyn has for the most part been a strong Trump supporter,
Jacobson generally thinks most politicians have remained in office
too long.
“Maybe it’s time for a change,” he said after voting.
Linda Williams said she voted for Cornyn, calling him “the lesser of
two evils.” She thought Cornyn had a better chance to beat Talarico
this fall.
“Because Paxton is a crook," Williams said after voting in Plano,
outside Dallas.
Trump snubbed Cornyn amid retribution campaign
Trump, in his endorsement, poked at Cornyn, saying he “was not
supportive of me when times were tough” and that “John was very late
in backing me.”
Cornyn said Tuesday on Fox News Radio's “The Brian Kilmeade Show”
that the president's ire was misplaced. He said, “grifters” are
"claiming that 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.”
Some GOP strategists have argued that a Paxton nomination would cost
millions of dollars more to promote in the fall, when money could be
spent defending Republican seats in more competitive states.
Democrats need to gain a net of four seats to take the majority.
Cornyn had the support of Senate GOP leaders.
Democrats choose US House nominees
Newly elected Rep. Christian Menefee defeated veteran Rep. Al
Green in Texas' 18th District, dispatching a longtime House
incumbent who was one of Trump's most outspoken critics. The
Republican-led Texas Legislature redrew the district when it
approved a new House map last year. The new map led to a runoff
between incumbents and marks the end of a dizzying series of
elections in the Houston area.
Former Rep. Colin Allred beat U.S. Rep. Julie Johnson in the
Dallas-area 33rd District's Democratic primary runoff. Johnson was
elected to the seat in 2024, the year Allred lost his U.S. Senate
challenge to Republican Sen. Ted Cruz. Allred was running for Senate
again this cycle but dropped his bid and instead sought a return to
the House.
Near San Antonio, Johnny Garcia won the Democratic primary for
Texas’ 35th District against against Maureen Galindo, a candidate
who has expressed antisemitic views. While Texas lawmakers redrew
the district to help Republicans, Democrats view it as within reach
and didn't want Galindo's past comments to impede them.
Garcia will face Republican Carlos De La Cruz, who defeated John
Lujan in the GOP primary.
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