Overview
- Paxton defeated four-term Sen. John Cornyn in the Republican runoff on Tuesday, winning about 62.6 percent of the vote and ending Cornyn’s 24-year Senate tenure.
- Paxton’s late surge followed President Trump’s endorsement on May 19, which shifted Republican primary voters toward loyalty-focused candidates.
- Cornyn and allied groups spent roughly $109 million on ads that highlighted Paxton’s legal and ethical baggage, including his 2023 impeachment, acquittal and an outstanding securities-fraud indictment.
- Paxton will face Democratic state Rep. James Talarico in November, a matchup that Senate Republicans warn could force the GOP to spend heavily to hold the seat.
- The result highlights a widening split in the Republican Party between Trump-aligned insurgents and establishment figures and may change GOP resource choices and campaign strategy this fall.