Overview
- Hunt formally launched his Senate bid on Oct. 6, setting up a three-way Republican primary on March 3, 2026 that observers say increases the likelihood of a late-May runoff.
- Senate GOP leadership and the NRSC, which back Sen. John Cornyn, publicly urged Hunt not to run and warned donors against funding what they labeled a resource-draining vanity project.
- Cornyn reported raising $3.36 million in the third quarter and $10.5 million cash on hand, as pro-Cornyn allies’ multimillion-dollar ad blitz helped tighten polls that had previously favored Attorney General Ken Paxton.
- Paxton remains a strong contender despite long-running legal and personal controversies highlighted in Cornyn’s attacks, while Paxton’s team welcomed Hunt and cast Cornyn as insufficiently loyal to President Trump.
- Trump has not endorsed in the race; Hunt, a close ally who has spent roughly $6–6.5 million on statewide advertising, also opens a vacancy in his Houston-area House seat that has already drawn new candidates.