Cornyn and Paxton advance to runoff in Texas Republican Senate primary

Mar 4, 2026

Incumbent Sen. John Cornyn and Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton are heading to a May 26 runoff for the Republican Senate nomination after neither secured over 50% of the primary vote. The divisive contest, already the most expensive in U.S. history, pits the establishment-backed Cornyn against the scandal-plagued Paxton. National Republicans fear Paxton's ethical baggage could give Democrats a rare opening to win a statewide race in Texas.

Cornyn-Paxton runoff advancement

▪Sen. John Cornyn and Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton will advance to a May 26 runoff in the state’s Republican primary for U.S. Senate.
▪Neither Cornyn nor Paxton surpassed the 50% of the vote needed in the March 3, 2026 primary to avoid a runoff.
▪With 87% of counties reporting, John Cornyn received about 43.1% of the vote, Ken Paxton 40% and Wesley Hunt 13.2%.

Hunt third-place finish

▪To run for the Senate, Wesley Hunt had to give up his House seat.
▪U.S. Rep. Wesley Hunt finished in a distant third place, failing to advance to the runoff.

PAC spending against Hunt

▪In the final weeks of the race, PACs affiliated with both the Cornyn and Paxton campaigns spent money against Wesley Hunt.
▪The race set a record as the most expensive Senate primary in U.S. history, with over $110 million in ad spending.

Trump endorsement speculation

▪Former President Donald Trump did not endorse a candidate before the primary, and his potential choice could be decisive in the runoff.
▪In 2023, Donald Trump called John Cornyn a "RINO" – a "Republican in name only" – and predicted he would lose his next reelection campaign.

Paxton ethical baggage

▪Ken Paxton was impeached by the Republican-controlled Texas House in 2023 over corruption allegations but was acquitted in the state Senate.
▪National Republicans have warned that Ken Paxton's legal and ethical baggage could cost the party the Senate seat in the November general election.
▪Ken Paxton's wife, state Sen. Angela Paxton, announced in July 2025 that she had filed for divorce.

Democratic general election opportunity

▪Democrats have not won a statewide race in Texas since the 1990s but are emboldened heading into the fall midterms.
▪Democrats' optimism is partly based on the 2018 Senate race, when Beto O’Rourke came within 3 percentage points of ousting Sen. Ted Cruz.
▪The runoff winner will face either state Rep. James Talarico or U.S. Rep. Jasmine Crockett in the general election.