Cornyn Faces Paxton in Texas GOP Senate Runoff as Trump Endorsement Reshapes 1 Key 2026 Race
Updated
Updated · The New York Times · May 25
Cornyn Faces Paxton in Texas GOP Senate Runoff as Trump Endorsement Reshapes 1 Key 2026 Race
11 articles · Updated · The New York Times · May 25
Tuesday’s Texas Republican Senate runoff pits incumbent John Cornyn against Attorney General Ken Paxton after a heated, costly primary that has become a marquee 2026 GOP contest.
Trump’s endorsement gave Paxton a late boost, strengthening his standing with the MAGA base and turning the race into a test of the party’s direction in the president’s second term.
Paxton entered the race in April 2025 as a challenger running to Cornyn’s right, while Cornyn — a longtime senator and occasional Trump critic — has framed the contest as a fight for political survival.
Scandals have shadowed Paxton throughout the campaign, including his 2023 impeachment trial over corruption allegations and a 2025 divorce filing by state Senator Angela Paxton that accused him of adultery.
The runoff now serves as a high-profile measure of whether Texas Republicans favor Cornyn’s establishment record or Paxton’s Trump-backed, scandal-tested appeal.
After a $122 million primary, has this race been decided by policy debate or by massive campaign spending?