Ken Paxton has defeated John Cornyn in Texas's Republican primary runoff, capturing the party's Senate nomination with backing from Donald Trump and delivering a dramatic victory despite a cascade of personal and legal troubles that would typically doom a statewide campaign.
Cornyn, a senator since 2002 and once considered for Senate Republican leadership, conceded the race after more than four decades of public service and 18 consecutive campaign victories. "I've always supported the GOP ticket," Cornyn said in a brief statement. "I intend to do so again this general election."
The result underscores Trump's continued grip on Republican primary voters in Texas. In a social media post days before the vote, Trump branded Cornyn "VERY disloyal" and urged Texans to remember the senator's perceived slights. That message proved potent enough to overcome Cornyn's efforts to rebrand himself as a Trump ally, including his introduction of legislation to name a highway after the former president.
Paxton, Texas's attorney general since 2014, built his national profile on hard-right positions. He launched some of the first criminal investigations into abortion restrictions and gender-affirming medical care for minors. He also led the legal charge to overturn Trump's 2020 election loss, a lawsuit the U.S. Supreme Court rejected.
Brandon Rottinghaus, a University of Houston political scientist, noted Paxton's ideological consistency with Trump's movement. "Paxton was Donald Trump before Donald Trump was," Rottinghaus said. "He was in the vanguard of the Tea Party movement, which was a major spur for the Maga movement nationally."
Yet Paxton carries substantial baggage into the general election. He was impeached in 2023 on corruption accusations, reported to the FBI, and later acquitted in a trial by the Texas Senate. He faced a felony securities fraud indictment that could have resulted in prison time, but the case was dismissed after he reached a pre-trial diversion agreement in 2024. His wife of 38 years filed for divorce last year, citing adultery.
National Republicans are concerned about the cost of defending Paxton as the nominee. His general election opponent will be James Talarico, a Democratic pastor and state legislator whose message of populism and peace has drawn attention. A Talarico victory would mark the first Democratic statewide win in Texas in more than three decades, though the state remains solidly Republican territory.
The race carries implications for Trump's influence heading into midterm elections, which typically serve as referendums on the sitting president. Democrats are favored to gain ground in House races nationally, though legislative redistricting and voting rights decisions could shift the terrain in both chambers.
Author James Rodriguez: "Paxton won because Texas Republicans chose Trump's loyalty test over institutional stability, but his legal liabilities could yet hand Democrats an unexpected opening in a state they've barely threatened in a generation."
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