Paxton dominates Cornyn in Texas US Senate runoff, the latest sign of Trump's hold on GOP

PLANO, Texas (AP) — Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton won the Republican information for U.S. Senate connected Tuesday, easy defeating four-term Sen. John Cornyn successful the latest contention wherever President Donald Trump sought to oust an incumbent helium saw arsenic insufficiently loyal.

Trump endorsed Paxton past week, calling him a “true MAGA warrior." Paxton's triumph successful Tuesday’s runoff makes Cornyn — who was archetypal elected to the Senate successful 2002 — the archetypal Republican legislator from Texas to suffer the party’s information for reelection.

Cheers rang done the ballroom astatine Paxton's predetermination nighttime enactment erstwhile the contention was called, arsenic the signifier filled with supporters holding Paxton run signs.

Paxton took the signifier to chants of “Ken, Ken, Ken," and helium rapidly gave recognition to Trump.

“When everyone successful Washington told him to wantonness maine and wantonness the radical of Texas, helium didn’t listen," Paxton said. "President Trump is the person of our party, and his endorsement is the astir almighty unit successful politics.”

Cornyn's nonaccomplishment followed primaries this period wherever Trump successfully backed challengers to Republican lawmakers who had displeased him successful Louisiana, Kentucky and Indiana, a motion of his enduring power among superior voters.

In stark opposition to Paxton's celebrations, Cornyn gave a abbreviated concession code tinged with emotion to a country of lone reporters.

“Tonight we’ve travel up short,” Cornyn said, adding that he’d enactment Paxton successful the wide election. “I’ve ever supported the Republican summons and I mean to bash truthful again.”

Cornyn said successful 2023 arsenic Trump was moving to instrumentality to the White House that his clip “has passed him by," a connection that came backmost to wound him. He besides was an aboriginal professional of Trump’s program for a borderline partition betwixt the U.S. and Mexico — a task helium present supports.

Cornyn had the backing of Senate GOP leaders who said helium would beryllium the stronger wide predetermination campaigner against Democratic nominee authorities Rep. James Talarico successful November.

Democrats spot Talarico arsenic a uncommon accidental to triumph a statewide contention successful Texas, which has added value arsenic the enactment tries to retake power of the Senate successful the midterms and sees a imaginable opening successful the Lone Star State.

That's not mislaid connected Paxton, who said successful his code that “without a shadiness of a doubt, I volition beryllium the Democrats’ fig 1 people successful November.”

Talarico's run deed backmost Tuesday nighttime connected the societal level X, highlighting what they — and immoderate Republicans — spot arsenic Paxton's weakness, including an FBI probe and impeachment for corruption successful which helium was aboriginal acquitted.

Tuesday's runoffs besides volition determine Democratic U.S. House nominees for districts successful Dallas and Houston that overwhelmingly enactment Democrats, and a San Antonio-area spot the enactment wants to flip.

The superior was agelong and costly

Cornyn led Paxton successful the March 3 superior but failed to triumph a majority. That was aft Cornyn and his supporters waged a monthslong advertizing campaign, mostly attacking Paxton implicit ethical and idiosyncratic questions.

The two-term lawyer wide was acquitted connected corruption charges successful a 2023 impeachment trial, wherever allegations of extramarital affairs surfaced. Paxton’s woman filed for divorcement past year, citing “biblical grounds.”

It gave Cornyn fodder for an advertisement run that, on with allied groups, spent astir $109 cardinal betwixt the superior and runoff elections.

Immediately aft the primary, Trump promised to endorse but didn’t enactment until aft aboriginal voting began past week.

“Ken Paxton has gone done a lot, successful galore cases, precise unfairly, but helium is simply a Fighter, and knows however to win,” Trump wrote successful a societal media station endorsing him.

David Jacobson, a retired 70-year-old Dallas-area resident, said Trump's endorsement was a origin successful his determination to backmost Paxton connected Tuesday. While Cornyn has for the astir portion been a beardown Trump supporter, Jacobson mostly thinks astir politicians person remained successful bureau excessively long.

“Maybe it’s clip for a change,” helium said aft voting adjacent Dallas.

Linda Williams said she voted for Cornyn, calling him “the lesser of 2 evils.” She thinks Cornyn has a amended accidental to bushed Talarico this fall.

“Because Paxton is simply a crook," Williams said aft voting successful Plano, extracurricular Dallas.

Trump snubbed Cornyn amid retribution campaign

Trump, successful his endorsement, poked astatine Cornyn, saying helium “was not supportive of maine erstwhile times were tough” and that “John was precise precocious successful backing me.”

Cornyn said Tuesday connected Fox News Radio's “The Brian Kilmeade Show” that the president's ire was misplaced. There are “grifters," helium said, "claiming that I americium opposed to the president's agenda, and I deliberation that’s caused immoderate disorder with the president himself. But I’ve been supportive.”

Some GOP strategists person argued that a Paxton information would outgo millions of dollars much to beforehand successful the fall, erstwhile wealth could beryllium spent defending Republican seats successful much competitory states. Democrats request to summation a nett of 4 seats to instrumentality the majority. Cornyn had the enactment of Senate GOP leaders.

Democrats besides volition take US House nominees

Newly elected Rep. Christian Menefee defeated seasoned Rep. Al Green successful Texas' 18th District, dispatching a longtime House incumbent who was 1 of Trump's astir outspoken critics. The Republican-led Texas Legislature redrew the territory erstwhile it approved a caller House representation past year. The caller representation led to a runoff betwixt incumbents and marks the extremity of a dizzying bid of elections successful the Houston area.

Former Rep. Colin Allred and U.S. Rep. Julie Johnson are competing successful the Dallas-area 33rd District. Johnson was elected to the spot successful 2024, the twelvemonth Allred mislaid his U.S. Senate situation to Republican Sen. Ted Cruz. Allred was moving for Senate again this rhythm but dropped his bid and alternatively is looking to instrumentality to the House.

Near San Antonio, Johnny Garcia won the Democratic superior for Texas’ 35th District against against Maureen Galindo, a campaigner who has expressed antisemitic views. While Texas lawmakers redrew the territory to assistance Republicans, Democrats presumption it arsenic wrong scope and didn't privation Galindo's past comments to impede them.

Garcia volition look Republican Carlos De La Cruz, who defeated John Lujan successful the GOP primary.

___

This communicative has been corrected to amusement that elector David Jacobson is 70, not 71.

___

Bedayn reported from Austin, Texas. Associated Press newsman Jamie Stengle contributed from Sasche, Texas.

Copyright 2026 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This worldly whitethorn not beryllium published, broadcast, rewritten oregon redistributed without permission.