Ken Paxton Defeats John Cornyn and Wins Republican Senate Nomination in Texas

• Ken Paxton Defeats Cornyn
• Trump Backs Paxton
• Senate Race Shifts in Texas

Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton won the Republican nomination for the United States Senate after defeating Senator John Cornyn in the Republican primary runoff.

Paxton’s victory marks a major political blow for Cornyn, who had served four terms in the Senate and sought to remain one of the most influential Republicans in Texas.

Paxton received the endorsement of President Donald Trump last week, support that ultimately proved key in the internal Republican contest.

Cornyn’s defeat makes the senator the first Texas Republican to lose his party’s nomination for reelection.

The result also reflects Trump’s influence within the Republican Party and his ability to support candidates aligned with his political agenda.

Trump Backed Ken Paxton in the Final Stretch

According to KOAT, Donald Trump publicly endorsed Ken Paxton as part of his strategy to push aside Republican officials who, in his view, have not shown him enough loyalty.

In 2023, while Trump was seeking to return to the White House, John Cornyn said that the now-president’s political time “had passed.”

That distancing eventually became a point of tension within the Republican primaries in Texas.

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Trump’s support for Paxton came just last week, but it helped consolidate backing from the party’s most conservative wing.

The attorney general’s victory also reinforces Trump’s influence over Republican voters in one of the party’s most important states.

Cornyn Failed to Avoid the Runoff

John Cornyn finished ahead of Paxton in the primaries held on March 3.

However, he did not secure the majority of votes needed to win the Republican nomination outright.

That scenario forced a runoff on Tuesday, where Paxton prevailed.

During the campaign, Cornyn and the allied groups supporting him spent approximately $109 million on advertising between the primary and the runoff.

Republican Senate leaders backed Cornyn and argued that he was the strongest candidate for the November general election.

Even so, the senator was unable to stop Paxton’s political momentum among Republican voters in Texas.

Paxton Will Face James Talarico in November

After securing the Senate nomination, Ken Paxton will now advance to the November general election.

The Texas attorney general will face state Representative James Talarico.

The race will determine who occupies the federal Senate seat currently held by the Republican Party.

Cornyn’s defeat also represents a major shift within Texas Republican politics, where the senator had long been considered one of the party’s most established figures.

Now, Paxton will seek to carry the momentum from the primaries into the general election as the Republican Party tries to maintain control of the Senate seat.