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Trump-backed Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton is projected to defeat longtime Sen. John Cornyn in the GOP Senate runoff, marking a major shake-up for Republicans. Paxton will now face Democrat James Talarico in the November midterm election
Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton, a Republican candidate for the US Senate, speaks during a primary runoff election night event after winning the Republican party's nomination in Plano, Texas, on Tuesday, 26 May. (AP Photo/Tony Gutierrez)As the race for the Texas Senate primary runoff heats up, the state's Attorney General, Ken Paxton, backed by President Donald Trump, is projected to win the GOP runoff, unseating longtime incumbent Senator John Cornyn in a major shake-up for Senate Republicans.
CBS News reported that the Trump-backed candidate will face Democratic nominee state Rep. James Talarico in the November midterm elections. A Democrat has not won a statewide race in Texas since 1994 and has not won a US Senate race in the state since 1988.
Trump endorses Ken Paxton
Paxton's fortunes were boosted by a last-minute endorsement from Trump last week. In a Truth Social post, the US President wrote, "Ken is a true MAGA Warrior who has ALWAYS delivered for Texas and will continue to do so in the United States Senate."
After remaining on the sidelines for a long time, Trump threw his support behind Paxton last week, writing that the attorney general "has always been extremely loyal to me." The president called Cornyn a "good man" who "was not supportive of me when times were tough." Paxton also received support from Rep. Wesley Hunt after the primary.
Cornyn vs Paxton
The endorsement came a week before the 26 May runoff against Cornyn after neither candidate secured 50 per cent of the vote in the 3 March primary election. Cornyn, a four-term senator and former member of the Senate GOP leadership team, received around 42 per cent of the vote, while Paxton secured nearly 41 per cent, with the two separated by roughly 26,000 votes, forcing the contest into a runoff.
Trump congratulates Paxton
Congratulating Paxton on his win, Trump, in a Truth Social post, wrote that Cornyn ran "a strong and powerful race" and added that Cornyn "had a truly great career." He added, "John will remain my friend for a long time to come, as we both watch Ken become a fantastic, common-sense Senator, one who is respected by all."
At his victory party on Tuesday, the Texas Attorney General thanked Trump for his support and said, "When everyone in Washington told him to abandon me and abandon the people of Texas, he didn't listen."
The result marks another win for a Trump-backed challenger over an incumbent who had fallen out of favour with the president. Earlier this month, Sen. Bill Cassidy failed to advance to a runoff in his state’s primary after Trump endorsed his opponent, while Kentucky Rep. Thomas Massie lost a primary race last week to a candidate supported by Trump.
Paxton-Trump ties
The Texas Attorney General was first elected in 2014 and aggressively took on the Obama administration after assuming office. He later became a close ally of Trump, going so far as to file a lawsuit challenging former President Joe Biden's win in the 2020 election in Pennsylvania, Michigan, Georgia, and Wisconsin.
Paxton also reportedly has a history of legal issues related to his role as attorney general. In 2015, he was indicted on securities fraud charges; however, they were later dropped in 2024 as part of a pre-trial diversion deal. In 2023, Paxton was also impeached on charges of bribery, dereliction of duty, and neglect of official duties by the GOP-majority Texas House of Representatives in a 121-23 vote. He was later acquitted by the state Senate.
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