Senator John Cornyn, Republican of Texas (L) and Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton.
Eddie Seal Bloomberg | Getty Images
Voting is open in the first Republican Senate election in Texas as Sen. John Cornyn is trying to fend off a major challenge from state Attorney General Ken Paxton, who is backed by President Donald Trump.
The winner of the Republican primary will face Democratic state legislator James Talarico in the November general election. The race is expected to be the nation’s most expensive as the GOP fights for control of the Senate and Democrats push to win a long-sought Senate seat in Texas.
Cornyn narrowly edged Paxton in the March primary, but failed to get enough votes to avoid a runoff.
Trump’s endorsement of Paxton last week sent shock waves through the Republican-controlled Senate, which has devoted significant resources to Cornyn’s re-election bid. Cornyn has also taken drastic steps to mend his relationship with Trump, which has been strained over the years.
The Republican primary in Texas has been among the most turbulent of the 2026 campaign cycle. Cornyn’s campaign has been critical of Paxton, who is a close friend of Trump, over a series of ethics and legal scandals that have dogged him and his office throughout his tenure as the Lone Star State’s top law enforcement official.
Paxton was impeached by the Texas House of Representatives and acquitted by the Senate and charged with securities fraud. He recently divorced his wife on what he described as “biblical grounds.”
State Representative James Talarico, a Democrat from Texas and a candidate for the US Senate, speaks during his Take Back Texas tour event in Austin, Texas, US, on Tuesday, Feb. 17, 2026.
Joel Angel Juarez | Bloomberg | Getty Images
Paxton’s campaign, meanwhile, has tried to position Cornyn as a longtime establishment figure in Washington.
Cornyn has served four terms with a significant margin in the Senate. He was the Senate Republican Whip, position No. 2 in the upper room, from 2013-2019. He lost the 2024 bid to lead the Senate Republicans to Senate Majority Leader John Thune, but is still loved by his colleagues. Senate Republicans believe Cornyn would be a formidable — and inexpensive — opponent for Talarico in the general election.
Paxton is the odds-on favorite in the first round after Trump’s endorsement. A Quantus Insights poll released Monday found Paxton leading Cornyn by 9.3 percentage points heading into Election Day.
Trump has made defeating his political enemies in the GOP a priority in his second term. Sen. Bill Cassidy, R-La., failed to run in Louisiana in early May after Trump endorsed his opponent in the primary. And Rep. Thomas Massie, R-Ky., a frequent Trump stalwart in his second term, fell in the primary to Trump-backed challenger Ed Gallrein.
Endorsing Paxton at Truth Social, Trump said Cornyn “is a good man, and I worked well with him, but he wouldn’t support me when times were tough.”
“Ken Paxton has been through a lot, in many cases, unfairly, but he is a Fighter, and he knows how to WIN,” the president said. “Our country needs Fighters, and loyalty in the pursuit of greatness.”
