Ken Paxton Unseats Senator John Cornyn in Texas Republican Runoff With Trump Backing

📅 May 26, 2026 22:40 ET ⏱ 3 min 👁 — views GazetaDay Editorial

With the backing of President Trump, Ken Paxton defeated Senator John Cornyn in a high-profile Republican primary runoff election. The Texas Attorney General’s victory reshapes the state’s GOP Senate race ahead of the November general election.

The Runoff Outcome

Ken Paxton, the incumbent Texas Attorney General, unseated three-term Senator John Cornyn in a competitive Republican runoff. President Trump publicly supported Paxton, rallying his base behind the state’s top legal officer. The race drew national attention as a test of Trump’s continued influence within the party. Cornyn, a veteran of the U.S. Senate since 2002, had previously held a strong fundraising advantage but could not overcome Paxton’s momentum in the runoff.

Paxton’s Political Background

Paxton has served as Texas Attorney General since 2015, winning election twice after first taking office. He built a reputation as a conservative legal advocate, notably leading lawsuits against the Affordable Care Act and challenging 2020 election results in battleground states. Before becoming Attorney General, Paxton represented the state’s 70th district in the Texas House of Representatives and later served in the Texas Senate. His career has been marked by legal controversies, including a 2015 indictment on securities fraud charges, which he has consistently fought in court while maintaining his office.

Trump’s Role in the Campaign

President Trump actively campaigned for Paxton, hosting rallies and issuing endorsements that framed the runoff as a loyalty test for Republican voters. Trump criticized Cornyn as insufficiently supportive of the former president’s agenda and used social media to amplify Paxton’s message. The endorsement helped Paxton consolidate support among conservative grassroots activists and turned the race into a proxy battle over the direction of the GOP. Trump’s involvement mirrored his pattern of intervening in primaries against incumbent Republicans he views as disloyal.

Cornyn’s Record and Fall

Senator John Cornyn, a former chairman of the National Republican Senatorial Committee, had represented Texas in the Senate since 2002. He supported Trump’s judicial appointments and tax cuts but drew ire from Trump for certifying the 2020 Electoral College results and occasionally breaking with the former president on procedural votes. Cornyn outspent Paxton in the primary but failed to mobilize his moderate and suburban base in the runoff. His defeat marks the first time a sitting Texas Republican senator has lost a primary since the state adopted the runoff system.

Context

The runoff follows a pattern of Trump-backed challengers ousting incumbent Republicans, including Representative Liz Cheney’s 2022 primary loss in Wyoming to Harriet Hageman, who had Trump’s endorsement. Similarly, Trump-endorsed candidates have defeated sitting senators such as Luther Strange in Alabama’s 2017 special election primary. These races underscore the former president’s enduring ability to reshape the party through targeted primary interventions.

Ken PaxtonTexas Senate raceRepublican primary runoffJohn CornynDonald Trump endorsementTexas politics2026 midterm elections