Paxton ousts Cornyn in record-breaking Texas Senate primary runoff; Trump endorsement proves decisive
Texas voters delivered a seismic shakeup in the state's political landscape Tuesday, as Attorney General Ken Paxton ousted longtime incumbent Sen. John Cornyn in a Republican primary runoff that became the most expensive Senate primary in U.S. history. CBS News projected Paxton's victory shortly after polls closed across most of the state at 7 p.m. Central Time, with westernmost counties reporting an hour later.
The race, which saw over $120 million in television advertising alone according to AdImpact, was defined by President Trump's last-minute endorsement of Paxton just six days before runoff voting began. Cornyn, first elected in 2002 and a former Senate GOP whip, had struggled to consolidate the party's conservative base despite his alliance with Trump during the president's second term.
"The moment Donald Trump endorsed Ken Paxton, he took a somewhat unlevel playing field and turned it into a steep cliff," said Rice University political science professor Mark Jones. The endorsement came after months of speculation — Trump held a rally in Texas in March without backing any candidate, then endorsed Paxton one day after early voting for the runoff started.
Paxton, first elected attorney general in 2014, built his campaign around aggressive legal challenges against the Obama and Biden administrations, including the 2020 election lawsuit that was ultimately tossed by the Supreme Court. However, his own legal history loomed large: a 2015 securities fraud indictment was dropped in 2024 as part of a pretrial diversion deal, and he was impeached by the Republican-controlled Texas House in 2023 on bribery and dereliction charges before being acquitted by the state Senate.
With no Democrat winning statewide office in Texas since 1994, Paxton enters the general election as the heavy favorite against James Talarico, the Democratic nominee who won the March primary. But Senate Republicans had viewed Cornyn as a stronger general election candidate, and the GOP's Senate fundraising arm spent millions trying to defeat Paxton — resources that will now have to be redirected to supporting him in November.
Meanwhile, in Texas' 18th Congressional District, Democratic Rep. Christian Menefee defeated fellow incumbent Rep. Al Green in a runoff triggered by redistricting. Green, 78, known as a Trump antagonist, had represented the 9th District since 2005 but opted to run in the 18th after Republicans redrew his district to favor the GOP. Menefee, 38, won a special election earlier this year to replace the late Rep. Sylvester Turner. The heavily Democratic district makes Menefee the heavy favorite for November.
In the 35th Congressional District, former sheriff's deputy Johnny Garcia won the Democratic runoff over sex therapist Maureen Galindo, who faced accusations of antisemitism and had called for the imprisonment of "American Zionists." House Democrats, including Rep. Josh Gottheimer (D-N.J.), had warned they would move to expel Galindo if elected. The Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee placed a last-minute ad buy branding Galindo as "MAGA Maureen." Garcia will face either state Rep. John Lujan or Carlos De La Cruz in the Republican runoff for the San Antonio-area district.
In the Dallas-area 33rd District, former Rep. Colin Allred defeated incumbent Rep. Julie Johnson in a bitter Democratic primary runoff. Allred, who had previously run for Senate against Ted Cruz, jumped into the race after Rep. Jasmine Crockett decided to run for Senate instead. The district remains heavily Democratic, with a Republican runoff between Patrick David Gillespie and retired police officer John Sims unlikely to flip the seat.
The race for Texas attorney general also saw major upsets. State Sen. Mayes Middleton defeated U.S. Rep. Chip Roy in the GOP primary runoff, despite Trump staying neutral. Middleton painted Roy as insufficiently loyal to Trump, pointing to Roy's vote against objecting to the 2020 election results and his post-Jan. 6 speech criticizing the president. On the Democratic side, state Sen. Nathan Johnson defeated former Galveston Mayor Joe Jaworski.
In the Texas Railroad Commission primary, Chairman Jim Wright is being challenged by former Tarrant County GOP chair Bo French, whose campaign has been marked by controversial statements about Muslims and calls for mass deportations. French, whose family owns an oil company, has been backed by Turning Point Action but faces widespread opposition from state GOP leaders, including Gov. Greg Abbott and Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick, who have endorsed Wright.