Sen. John Cornyn (R-Texas) on Tuesday vowed to support the Republican ticket in the general election after losing his Senate primary runoff to Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton, a race where former President Donald Trump’s last-minute endorsement proved decisive.
“I’ve spent most of my time in the Senate building the Republican Party in Texas and in the U.S. Senate, and I’ve always supported the Republican ticket, and I intend to do so again in this general election,” Cornyn told supporters after the results came in. He added, “I’ve said throughout this race that I trust the voters of Texas, and they’ve made their decision, and I must respect it.”
The five-term incumbent thanked his campaign team and said he would focus on his remaining seven months in the Senate, working to “make this nation a better place for all Texans and all Americans.” Notably, Cornyn did not mention Trump or Paxton by name in his remarks.
Paxton, who secured Trump’s endorsement just after early voting began, declared on X Tuesday, “We just made history,” and called for party unity ahead of the general election. He will face Democrat James Talarico, a state representative, in what Democrats see as a rare opportunity to flip a Senate seat in deep-red Texas. For more on the dynamics of this race, see our analysis of how Trump's endorsement sealed Cornyn's fate.
Talarico framed the contest as “The People vs. Ken Paxton” and extended an olive branch to Cornyn’s supporters. “I want to thank Senator John Cornyn for his years representing our state. We don’t agree on everything, but we both still believe in public service. To Senator Cornyn’s supporters: you have a place in our campaign,” Talarico said.
Trump’s endorsement of Paxton marked a sharp break with Senate GOP leadership, which had rallied behind Cornyn. The former president has recently targeted incumbents who crossed him, including Sen. Bill Cassidy (R-La.), who voted to convict Trump in his second impeachment trial, and Rep. Thomas Massie (R-Ky.), as well as several Indiana state senators who opposed a Trump-backed redistricting plan. This pattern of Trump-backed challengers picking off establishment figures underscores the ongoing power struggle within the party, as explored in our piece on the MAGA loyalty test in Texas.
The runoff also highlighted the role of early voting, which surged but still lagged behind March primary turnout, as noted in our coverage of early voting trends. Meanwhile, Paxton’s wife, Angela Paxton, a state senator, notably skipped endorsing her husband in the runoff, a move that raised eyebrows but did not affect the outcome.
The Republican Senate campaign arm, without mentioning Paxton by name, attacked Talarico as a “radical leftist who thinks God is nonbinary and that Texas should be a welcome mat for illegals,” adding, “Texas isn’t swapping brisket for open borders.” The statement, from regional press secretary Samantha Cantrell, signaled that the party will rally behind Paxton despite the bitter primary.
