Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton has won the Republican nomination for U.S. Senate after defeating incumbent Senator John Cornyn in Tuesday’s high-stakes runoff election.
Prior to the call of the race — which did not occur until all polls closed in the western portion of the state — Paxton led with 63 percent of the vote to Cornyn’s 37 percent, with roughly two thirds counted, according to NBC News.
The race was ultimately called just after 9 p.m. Eastern Time, when the final polls closed.
Paxton was significantly over-performing in early voting benchmarks. This was notable, as election analysts had long speculated that Cornyn would do better in the early voting period.
With roughly 36 percent of precincts counted at 8:25 p.m. Eastern Time — a little more than a half hour before final polls closes — Paxton held a comfortable lead with 63 percent of the vote to Cornyn’s 37 percent.
Tuesday’s results notably represented a massive shift for Paxton when compared with the March 3 primary results, when Cornyn edged out a narrow victory. In that contest, Cornyn narrowly secured first place with 42 percent of the vote to Paxton’s 40.5 percent.
U.S. Rep. Wesley Hunt secured the remainder of the vote on primary day, which set up a runoff election between Cornyn and Paxton, as neither candidate reached the 50 percent threshold required to avoid one.
In the runoff, Paxton improved his position by consolidating support. He performed stronger in rural and East Texas counties where he had already shown solid results, and also recorded gains in some suburban areas compared to the first round.
While Cornyn maintained advantages in certain urban and metropolitan precincts, Paxton narrowed differences in several competitive suburban counties.
Spending in the race also reached record levels. All told, final estimates for the entire primary process soared past $128 million, with estimates exceeding $92 million in support of the incumbent across the primary and runoff periods.
Cornyn’s campaign and joint committees raised more than $13 million directly. Paxton’s campaign and aligned efforts operated with significantly lower totals, estimated between $4 million and $8 million. Despite the spending difference, Paxton prevailed in the nomination contest.
A notable development occurred in the final week when former President Donald Trump endorsed Paxton on May 19. Trump’s statement highlighted Paxton’s record and contrasted it with Cornyn’s positions on certain issues, including the Senate’s inability to pass a crucial election integrity bill.
Paxton’s massive over-performance was notable given close polling in the state, the majority of which pinned the race as razor close.
Trump endorsed Ken Paxton is crushing RINO and anti Save America Act Senator Cornyn in Texas GOP.
MAGA always wins.
Are you tired of winning yet?
HT @ThePatriotOasis pic.twitter.com/1L0Rm0g0ai
— Commentary Donald J. Trump Posts From Truth Social (@TrumpDailyPosts) May 27, 2026
A pivotal moment came in the final week when President Donald Trump made a last-minute endorsement of Paxton on May 19, calling him a “true MAGA Warrior.” This endorsement represented a sharp deviation from Senate leadership, which had rallied around Cornyn and lobbied for the president’s support.
With the nomination secured, Paxton now turns his attention to the general election against Democrat nominee James Talarico, a state representative and former teacher who emerged from a competitive primary. Early polling and analyses suggest a competitive race, with some surveys showing Talarico with a slight edge or tie in hypothetical matchups.
However, Texas remains a Republican stronghold statewide. No Democrat has won a U.S. Senate seat here since 1988, and the state has consistently delivered solid GOP majorities in presidential and statewide races.
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