Texas Senate Republican Primary Runoff: Live Results
Key takeaways
- Neither candidate received a majority of votes in the March primary election, forcing the runoff.
- Paxton first gained national attention when he sued four key battleground states in an attempt to overturn Joe Biden’s 2020 election victory.
- The runoff’s winner will face the Democrat James Talarico, a state representative and former public-school teacher, whose long-shot bid for the Senate has generated national attention.
Neither candidate received a majority of votes in the March primary election, forcing the runoff. President Donald Trump has endorsed Paxton, a major blow for Cornyn, who has represented the state since 2002. Still, Cornyn has received much support from prominent members of the G.O.P., including Senate Majority Leader John Thune and Rick Perry, the former Texas governor. Before serving in the Senate, Cornyn was the state’s attorney general and served as a justice on the Texas Supreme Court.
Paxton first gained national attention when he sued four key battleground states in an attempt to overturn Joe Biden’s 2020 election victory. He has also been the subject of several scandals during his tenure. In 2015, he was indicted on two counts of securities fraud and one count of failing to register as an investment adviser with state regulators. In 2024, after more than eight years of delays, Paxton agreed to pay nearly three hundred thousand dollars in restitution and to perform a hundred hours of community service, without admitting wrongdoing. In 2023, Paxton was also accused of abusing his office to assist in the case of Nate Paul, a real-estate developer and a donor to Paxton’s campaign who was separately charged with wire fraud and making false statements on loan applications. Paul had allegedly helped fund a renovation of Paxton’s Austin home and had hired a woman with whom Paxton was reportedly having an extramarital affair. Paxton was impeached by the Texas House before being acquitted by the state Senate. In addition to Trump’s endorsement, he has received support from other major MAGA figures, including Steve Bannon, Laura Loomer, and Ted Nugent. Ted Cruz, the other Texas senator, and Greg Abbott, the state’s governor, have declined to endorse either candidate.
The runoff’s winner will face the Democrat James Talarico, a state representative and former public-school teacher, whose long-shot bid for the Senate has generated national attention.