Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton and Sen. John Cornyn will advance to the May 26 runoff election in the Texas Senate Republican primary, results indicated as of Tuesday night.
DecisionDesk projected the runoff at around 10:25 p.m. ET, with Cornyn at about 43.2% to Paxton’s 40.3%.
Rep. Wesley Hunt, who was also campaigning for the seat, was in a distant third place as of Tuesday night. In the Lone Star State, a candidate needs to crack 50% of the vote in order to avoid a runoff election.
None of the candidates was able to snag an endorsement from President Donald Trump that was unique to them, but the president did note that he backed “all three.”
“I just haven’t made a decision on that race yet. It’s got a ways to go, and I haven’t. [Cornyn’s] a good man. John is a good — I like all three of them, actually,” the president said in mid-February. “They’ve all supported me. They’re all good and you’re supposed to pick one. So, we’ll see what happens. But I support all three.”
It’s unclear if the president will endorse a candidate for the runoff election.
All three candidates were in attendance at an energy-focused event led by the president in Corpus Christi, Texas, last Friday. However, the election was overshadowed this weekend by a shooting at an Austin bar where two people were killed and over a dozen were injured – as the alleged shooter wore a “Property of Allah” hoodie and apparel with the Iranian flag on it.
The candidates engaged in a brutal and, at many times, personal fight for the nomination. Accusations flew about Cornyn’s political record, Paxton’s personal history, and Hunt’s attendance in Congress – all while trying to make the case that they would be the best individuals to carry out Trump’s agenda for the remainder of his second term.
Whoever advances to the general election will face off against either Rep. Jasmine Crockett or state Sen. James Talarico in November, depending on the final outcome of the Democratic primary.
Sen. Ted Cruz has remained neutral in the primary race, but his own electoral history could provide a window in the 2026 contest. Cruz defeated former Rep. Colin Allred in 2024 with 53% of the vote, and the Republican also beat former Rep. Beto O’Rourke in 2018.
The Cook Political Report ranks the general election race as “Likely Republican” as of Tuesday night, as the Kalshi prediction market has the odds of Republicans winning the general election at 60%.
